Revel in Darkness
by cleotheo
Summary: After finishing their education abroad, it's time for Harry Potter and Hermione Granger to return home with their family so that The Dark Lord can escalate his plans to take control. But, The Order aren't prepared to give up without a fight and their plans to scupper Voldemort include both Harry and Hermione. Dark Hermione! Dark Harry! 3rd and final part in the Darkness Trilogy.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – Welcome to the third and final part of Darkness. Thanks for your patience with this story as I know it's taken far longer to get out than I would have liked. If I'd known how much trouble I was going to have with this third part, I would have delayed posting the first couple of parts, but I've never had so much trouble with a story before. In fact I still haven't finished this part and can't say for sure how many chapters there will be, but I am on the final stretch and the end is very much in sight.**

**Updates will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Enjoy!**

* * *

Standing atop of the Astronomy Tower, Albus Dumbledore, watched as the Hogwarts Express pulled out of Hogsmeade station and began it's long journey back to London. It was the end of yet another year at the wizarding school, yet for Dumbledore it felt as though more than the school year was coming to an end. It felt as though the entire world was coming to an end, and every instinct in Dumbledore's body was screaming out the end was nigh, and the upcoming summer could very well be make or break for the wizarding world.

Ever since Voldemort had returned, three years ago, and especially since he'd discovered the truth about his daughter, Dumbledore had been prepared for the dark wizard's wrath. However, aside from the odd incident every few months, the dark had been suspiciously quiet. That was until the beginning of the year when the New Year's celebrations at Diagon Alley were disrupted by the largest Death Eater attack in over a decade. The attack almost wrecked Diagon Alley itself and several people lost their businesses and their homes. But that wasn't the end, and since that day barely a week had passed without the Death Eater causing further death and destruction.

To Dumbledore it was sign that the final battle was approaching. Finally Voldemort had done waiting, he was clearly aiming to bring about the destruction of the wizarding world. However, Dumbledore was going to do everything in his power to stop the dark wizard, even though in his heart he knew it was pointless. He knew that Voldemort couldn't be killed, but it was a secret that he hadn't shared with anyone else. There was already a distinct lack of hope within the Order now they no longer had Harry Potter among their numbers, but to admit that Voldemort was invincible would be the final nail in the Order's coffin and Dumbledore knew that people would just give up and roll over for the dark wizard and his supporters.

Dumbledore had always suspected that Voldemort had some way of preserving his life after he wasn't killed outright the night he killed the Potters. But it wasn't until the incident with the diary in Harry's second year that Dumbledore began to get a clue as to what Voldemort had done to render himself immortal. Over the years, Dumbledore had investigated and come to the conclusions that Voldemort had made Horcruxes. He suspected multiple Horcruxes due to the fact the destruction of the diary didn't stop his return, nor did he think that Voldemort would have entrusted such a valuable artefact into Lucius Malfoy's keeping if it was the only thing keeping him safe. Sadly none of Dumbledore's investigations had revealed just how many Horcruxes Voldemort had made, or what he'd used to make them. He did have some ideas, but it was all mere speculation and he'd been unable to actually get hold of another Horcrux. So with the Horcruxes still out there and in perfect condition, Voldemort was invincible, and even Dumbledore didn't know how they were going to defeat him.

While Dumbledore had no idea how they were going to physically destroy The Dark Lord, he did know how they could break him emotionally. Voldemort himself might have been immortal, but his daughter certainly wasn't. As horrible as it might seem, Dumbledore knew that the key to removing the threat Voldemort posed was to destroy the only person he truly loved. And that meant killing Hermione Granger, and doing so right in front of her father so that Voldemort was left in no doubt that this time he'd lost his daughter for good.

Although Dumbledore was under no illusions about how hard it was going to be to take Hermione out. She'd been a smart girl anyway, but under her father's tutelage, Dumbledore was betting she was now pretty dangerous. It was certainly not going to be easy to get to Hermione, but it was something that needed to be done. And of course, it wouldn't totally eliminate the threat of Voldemort, but Dumbledore was working on a way to render The Dark Lord useless again while he was struck down with grief after witnessing his daughter's death.

The only potential problem to Dumbledore's plan concerned Harry Potter. A year ago, he'd walked away from the Order and even though they had no proof, Dumbledore was convinced he was with the dark, or more accurately, he was with Hermione. The Order had all underestimated how much Harry had cared for Hermione, and they'd certainly never foreseen that he would turn his back on his friends and join the wizard who'd killed his parents because of his feelings for Hermione. But now they knew how much Hermione meant to him, Dumbledore knew they would have to proceed with caution. Hermione's death might destroy Voldemort, but it could well tip Harry completely over the edge and well and truly turn him against the Order. And the last thing Dumbledore wanted was to remove the threat of Voldemort, only to be faced with the threat of Harry. What they needed to do was liberate Harry from the dark before they killed Hermione. Harry had to be one of them again, before they brought down his best friend in order to get to her father.

Not that Dumbledore had any idea as to how they could get Harry back. Despite the lies they'd peddled in the press, claiming that Harry had been manipulated into leaving England, and the positivity he exuded to the Order, Dumbledore was seriously worried about Harry's position. The truth was, he hadn't been manipulated into leaving, he'd done so of his own free will, and Dumbledore couldn't see him willing rejoining the Order. All he could think of to do was to find a way to force Harry back to the right side. Not that he was sure how he was going to manage that, but it was something that needed to be discussed with the Order.

Given the frequency of the attacks from the dark side, Dumbledore was positive the big battles were in sight, and in that case, he was hoping that not only would Hermione be returning home, but Harry would as well. Once Harry was back in the country, Dumbledore was convinced they would be able to find him. And once they knew where he was, they could start making plans to bring him back to where he belonged. Even if it wasn't what Harry wanted, it was the right thing to do, and Dumbledore knew the only way they were going to convince the majority of the wizarding public to stand with them was to have the Boy Who Lived fighting on their side. Without Harry their cause was well and truly doomed, but Dumbledore wasn't ready to give up just yet.

Shaking off the defeated attitude that threatened to overtake him, Dumbledore turned and left the Astronomy Tower. Even though the odds were against them, he was going to do everything in his power to remain positive. The war wasn't over yet, and Dumbledore wasn't going to give up until he was dead at the feet of The Dark Lord.

* * *

After three years away, Draco Malfoy, was thrilled to return to England. The day after he, Hermione and Harry had taken their final exam, the family had begun packing and in a matter of days they were once again back in Wizarding Britain. Obviously they returned to Malfoy Manor, and Lucius, Voldemort and Severus Snape had spent several hours adding extra security around the property. Word would soon leak out that they were back, and when that happened, no-one wanted an unexpected attack from the Order. Now if the Order did attack they would stand even less chance than ever of breaking into the manor and getting to anyone inside.

By the time they'd been back home less than a week, Hogwarts broke up for the end of the year and Draco had arranged to see his friends for the first time in years. Although their reunion wasn't going to be strictly personal as Draco was under order's from The Dark Lord to recruit as many of the younger Slytherins as he could. While Voldemort already had an impressive array of Death Eaters, he wanted some youngsters in the group as he knew that in order to keep power, he needed to keep recruiting witches and wizards from the younger generations.

Draco had other friends he intended to contact about joining The Dark Lord, but he'd decided to start first with the friend's he'd gone to school with. After all, they were his closest friends, and the ones he'd missed the most while he'd been living on the other side of the world. He'd also decided to meet with his friends by himself, rather than bringing Hermione and Harry with him, as it had been a long time since he'd seen them. Not that Hermione or Harry had been disappointed, as they completely understood that it was best for Draco to see his friends on his own.

The very evening Hogwarts had ended for the year, Draco got ready and flooed to Blaise Zabini's penthouse. Blaise's mother was been romanced by yet another potential husband, so Blaise had the entire penthouse to himself. It was the perfect place for the old friends to catch up and talk in private about what lay ahead, and the opportunities that could come their way if they chose to join Voldemort.

Draco was the first to arrive at the penthouse, and for the first time ever, Blaise greeted him with a bone crushing hug. Draco couldn't say he'd ever been a big one for hugging, and although he'd allowed his female friends to give him the odd hug, he'd never embraced one of his male friends. Still, he found himself returning Blaise's hug as it was great to see his old friend.

"Missed me, Blaise?" Draco questioned with a smirk as the two wizards separated and exchanged slightly embarrassed grins.

"Who are you again? I think I've forgotten you," Blaise joked.

"Nice try Zabini," Draco laughed. "I know your life has been duller without me in it."

"However did we cope?" Blaise chuckled. "Seriously, it's good to see you. You're looking good."

"So are you," Draco replied, appreciating how Blaise had grown and matured over the last three years, just as he had. "So how is everyone?"

"Dying to see you," Blaise replied. "Things haven't been the same since you've been gone."

"Well, I'm back now," Draco said with a grin.

"For good?" Blaise checked.

"Unless everything goes completely and utterly wrong and The Dark Lord is crushed," Draco replied. "Not that I see that happening. What I see is the Order being totally and utterly crushed."

"What's left of them," Blaise snorted. "You should see the ways things are now. Dumbledore only has a small group of supporters. Even the Gryffindors were torn apart about what happened once Potter left. Weasley's spent most of the last year with only his sister to talk to."

"What happened with the other Gryffindors?" Draco asked.

"They weren't buying Dumbledore's lies," Blaise replied. "Longbottom was going around telling anyone who would listen that Potter left of his own accord. He was even sending people to talk to the Weasley twins, and they were telling the same story. I'm telling you, mate, it won't take much for The Dark Lord to crush his opposition."

"Let's hope we at least have a few good battles," Draco said with a pout. "I'm itching to take out the Order, especially the ones who plotted to kill Hermione."

"Do I sense she's more to you than just a friend?" Blaise asked, easily picking up on the emotion in Draco's voice when he mentioned Hermione.

"Much more," Draco confirmed with a nod of his head. "But we can get into that once the others arrive. I've got a proposition I want to put to you all."

"Intriguing," Blaise murmured as the floo activated again and the others began to arrive.

All of the others also greeted Draco with hugs, and there was even some tears from Pansy Parkinson. It was until he was surrounded by his oldest friends that Draco realised just how much he'd missed them. He'd been so caught up in his new life, and getting closer to Hermione, that while he'd missed his friends, he'd never really thought about the hole in his life where they usually were. However, now he was back in the heart of the Slytherins, Draco felt as though he was truly back where he belonged. All he needed was to have Hermione by his side and he would be completely content.

With everyone in attendance, Blaise made sure everyone had drinks and the group spent nearly two hours catching up on what Draco had missed from their lives, and what they'd missed from his. Obviously the topic of Hermione came up, and Draco's friends seemed to take it in their stride that she was now his girlfriend. They also didn't seem overly bothered when he also mentioned that he now classed Harry as a good friend.

"We'll all have to meet up sometime," Theo Nott suggested.

"That was the plan," Draco replied. "Especially if any of you are going to take up the offer The Dark Lord wants to make you."

"Is this the proposition you mentioned?" Blaise questioned.

"It is," Draco confirmed with a nod of his head. "The Dark Lord is wanting some younger recruits. He wants me to ask you all if you wish to join the Death Eaters? Hermione, Harry and I are all going to be receiving the mark in the next few weeks, and we thought you lot might like to join us."

"Count me in," Blaise said almost immediately.

"And me," Theo said.

"Us too," Gregory Goyle added, gesturing to himself and his best friend, Vincent Crabbe.

"Yeah, because of the damn Order, you had to leave," Vince said. "I'd like to pay them back for that."

"I'm also in," Daphne Greengrass said, a fierce look blazing in her eyes.

"And me," Pansy agreed.

"Looks like it's a full house," Blaise remarked with a grin.

"The Dark Lord will be very pleased," Draco replied, returning Blaise's grin. "And so am I. I've missed you guys, and it'll be great to be all together once again."

"The rise of the Slytherins," Theo called, raising his glass for a toast.

Laughing, the other Slytherins all raised their own glasses and joined in with Theo's toast. They were all thrilled to be reunited, and none of them could wait for the adventure that lay ahead once they pledged their allegiance to Voldemort and officially became the youngest group of Death Eaters under Voldemort's command.


	2. Chapter 2

The morning sunlight streamed into Draco's bedroom as he lay tangled in the green and black silk sheets of his bed, with his gorgeous girlfriend on top of him. Hermione's head was thrown back and her eyes were closed as Draco's hands on her hips helped her move above him. While Hermione's eyes were closed, revelling in the feelings being together produced, Draco's eyes were wide open, gazing at Hermione as if she was the most precious thing he'd ever set eyes on. Although to be fair, she was the most precious thing in his life, and he had no idea what he would do without her.

As if sensing Draco was watching her, Hermione's deep brown eyes slowly opened and a cat-like smile crept over her lips. Leaning forward her hair hung on either side of them as she pressed her lips against his, her breasts pressing against his chest. Tangling his hand in her curls, Draco pulled Hermione closer and breathed in her familiar scent.

"I love you," he whispered as their lips broke apart.

"I love you too," Hermione returned with a smile. It was far from the first time they'd exchanged 'I Love You's', but it didn't mean that it wasn't still special every time it happened.

Reconnecting their lips, Draco flipped them over and they finished making love. Eventually they collapsed back onto Draco's sheets, tangled in each other's arms.

"I wish we could stay here all day," Hermione muttered.

"You mean you want to miss out on what's happening today?" Draco asked with a chuckle.

"Maybe not," Hermione conceded.

Today was the day she, Draco, Harry and Draco's friends would be receiving their Dark Marks. Voldemort has said that it wasn't necessary for the trio to actually take the mark, but they'd talked it through and all three of them wanted a proper initiation. Even Harry was just as keen to take the mark, and Hermione knew it was his way of proving once and for all what side he was on.

"Besides, I think the three fathers and mother would have something to say if we stayed in bed all day," Draco added.

"I guess they would," Hermione chuckled.

All four of the adults in their life knew that they'd taken their relationship to the next stage, but neither Hermione or Draco wanted to push their tolerance on the matter. As it was, they'd taken the news fairly well, although they had been forced to endure a few lectures. The main theme in all four talks had been about being responsible, but Voldemort had added a threat to Draco about hurting his daughter. Severus had warned Draco about treating Hermione as she deserved, and Lucius had reminded his son to make sure that he always made sure Hermione had a good time when they were together. And finally Narcissa had given Hermione a contraceptive potion and recommended that they used both the potion and the spell just to be doubly sure there wasn't any accidental pregnancies.

But as supportive as the adults had been, Hermione suspected that they would push their understanding by spending the day in bed. Maybe one day she might be tempted to push their luck, but today was certainly not that day.

"So shall we get up?" Draco asked, sounding as reluctant as Hermione felt.

"In a minute," Hermione said, twisting so she was facing her boyfriend. "Did you mean what you said earlier, or were you just carried away in the moment?"

"I meant it, I always do," Draco assured his girlfriend. "Did you?"

"With all my heart," Hermione replied sincerely.

As their lips gravitated back towards each other a loud knocking on the door interrupted them. Sharing an annoyed look, they broke apart and Hermione called to ask who it was.

"Are you decent?" Harry's voice called from the other side of the door.

"No, we're stark bollock naked, so sod off," Draco called back.

"You've got two minutes to make yourself decent before I'm coming in," Harry returned, amusement evident in his voice.

"Remind me again why we've let that little git onto our side?" Draco grouched as Hermione hopped out of bed and began to pull on her underwear.

"Because he's my best friend, and despite your grouching, you actually like him," Hermione said with a chuckle.

"Not right now I don't," Draco grumbled as he watched Hermione's exposed flesh get covered up.

"Get dressed Draco, or Harry will come barging in," Hermione warned.

"Let him barge in, I've got nothing to be ashamed of," Draco said as he pushed back the covers and got out of bed.

As it was he actually had his underwear and trousers on before Harry knocked again and entered the bedroom. One look at Harry was enough to tell Draco that the former Gryffindor was buzzing with anticipation over what would be happening very shortly.

"Nervous, Potter?" he asked as he pulled on a dark green shirt and began to fasten it.

"No, are you?" Harry asked.

"Why would I be nervous?" Draco asked with a raised eyebrow. "I've known this was my destiny since I was a child. But it's different for you two. For years, your loyalty was with the Order."

"Until the Order showed their true colours," Harry pointed out. "This is where I'm meant to be, I know that. My place is at Hermione's side."

"That makes two of us," Draco said, flashing Hermione a grin. "Looks like you've got cover on both sides."

"Aren't I lucky, two big handsome boys to look after me," Hermione retorted with a roll of her eyes. "In case it slipped your notice, I'm more than capable of looking after myself."

"In that case, you can protect me and Draco," Harry joked.

"Yeah, when the going gets tough, Harry and I will hide behind you," Draco laughed.

Laughing, Hermione led the way out of Draco's room and downstairs. The adults were all waiting for them in the front room, and once they'd made sure the trio were a hundred percent sure about taking the mark, Voldemort and Lucius left to prepare for the initiations, while Severus and Narcissa waited to greet Draco's friends who were due to arrive any moment.

Draco's friends were arriving by floo, and two minutes before the arranged meeting time the floo network lit up and Blaise stepped from the glowing green flames. Draco began to make the introductions as one by one all his closest school friends arrived for their initiation. Draco had spoken to other old school friends about joining Voldemort, but for now it had been decided to initiate his closest friends first.

"On a scale of one to ten, how nervous are people?" Blaise asked. He was unable to stay still for more than a couple of minutes, so he was pacing the floor in front of the floo.

"Looking at you, I would say you were a ten," Pansy snorted. On the outside she seemed the calmest of the newest arrivals, but Draco knew from experience that the calmer Pansy looked, the more nervous she actually was.

"I'm not nervous, just anxious to get it over with," Blaise said as he turned to where Severus was sitting. "What's the hold up, Prof?"

"Prof?" Severus drawled in an unimpressed voice while Harry and Draco shared an amused smirk.

"Sorry, Professor Snape," Blaise corrected with a roll of his eyes.

"There is no hold up, I just have to be sure you're all fully aware of what this entails," Severus said, gesturing for everyone to sit down. "This is not some childish game. It's serious. We're about to go to war, and there might very well be casualties. No-one will think any less of you if you choose not to receive the mark. You can still play your part without actually taking the mark."

"But if we don't take the mark, we won't be included in everything, will we?" Theo checked.

"No, you won't," Severus confirmed. "If you take the mark, you'll be much more involved. I want you all to take a couple of minutes and thinks things through before giving your final decision."

Looking around at his friends, Draco could tell that they were all ready to give their answers right away, but they did what Severus had said and all took some time to think over what they were committing to. A long silence of over ten minutes hung in the room, before one by one Draco's friends reconfirmed that they were ready and prepared to take the Dark Mark.

"In that case, I think it's time we went to see The Dark Lord," Severus said, rising to his feet.

Falling in behind Severus the teenagers followed him towards the formal dining room, where he and Lucius had set up the initiation ritual. Normally an initiation took place in front of the entire inner circle of Death Eaters, but Voldemort had ruled that for once it would be just him, Severus and Lucius in attendance. Although he had made plans for a large Death Eater meeting where he planned on introducing Hermione and allowing the youngsters to join their older counterparts.

"Come in," Lucius said, ushering the teenagers into the large dining room.

Hermione led the way into the dining room and over to where her father was standing over the far side of the room. Stopping in front of him, she lowered her head in deference and everyone else formed a line on either side of her, with Harry on one side and Draco on the other. The others then lowered their heads the same way Hermione had done, showing Voldemort the respect he expected from his followers.

"Are you sure about this, Hope?" Voldemort asked softly.

"Yes, My Lord," Hermione answered, raising her head to look at her father. "This is what I want, Father."

"In that case I will try and make this as painless as possible," Voldemort said. "Although some pain will be unavoidable. Do you want to go first, Hope?"

"Yes," Hermione answered with a nod as she pushed back her left sleeve and held out her arm for her father to brand.

Gently her father took hold of her left arm and pressed his wand against her forearm. With a whispered incantation, Hermione felt a burning on her arm and she watched as the familiar Dark Mark began to appear on her arm. The pain was rather brutal, but Hermione didn't show it as she gritted her teeth and stood straight. All the time she was aware of her father's eyes on her, and she didn't want him to know just how much pain she was in.

"Impressive," Voldemort whispered as he removed his wand away from the newly formed Dark Mark and running his hand over the mark, sent a wave of pain relief rushing through Hermione's veins. "I'm proud of you," he added, leaning forward to kiss his daughter on the cheek. "Who's next?" he asked, straightening back up and turning to the others.

"Do we all get a kiss at the end?" Draco asked cheekily.

"If you're not careful you'll get a kick up the backside," Voldemort said with an affectionate chuckle.

"I'll go next then," Draco offered.

Draco then underwent the same ritual as Hermione, and like his girlfriend he hid his pain magnificently. Voldemort also issued him with the same pain relief, before moving onto Harry. One by one everyone received the Dark Mark, and not one person let it show just how much it hurt. By the time he'd finished, Voldemort was incredibly impressed with his newest recruits as he'd given the mark to fully grown adults who'd been in tears with the pain.

"When I want you, you will feel a tingling in your mark," Voldemort explained. "When that happens, you press your wand to your mark and it will bring you to where I am. If you want to send a message to me, again you use your wand pressed against the mark and I will come to you when I am ready. I only need one message, so don't continue to call me as you won't like me if I turn up and I'm annoyed. Just as you won't like me if you don't get to me as soon as I call. I do understand that you might not be able to reach me straight away, but I expect you to get to me as soon as possible. Is all that clear?"

"Yes, My Lord," the group chorused.

"I'm busy arranging a meeting, which I will expect you all to attend," Voldemort said. "I'll let you know the date and time when I make the final arrangements. Until then, you're all free to leave."

"If you ask one of the elves, I'm sure they'll bring you some refreshments," Lucius suggested as Voldemort swept out of the room.

"How about we go outside?" Draco suggested. "You should all get to know each other."

"Yeah, it would be nice to get to know the Gryffindors in our life," Blaise said. "I never thought I would be friends with Gryffindors."

"And I never thought I would be The Dark Lord's daughter," Hermione said with a low chuckle.

"And I never thought I would ever take the Dark Mark," Harry added. "Things change."

"That they do," Daphne said with an understanding nod.

Smiling at Daphne, Harry followed Hermione and the Slytherins out of the manor and into the gardens. Since they were all now Death Eaters together, and would be working together, it made sense that they all got to know one another. After all, they were about to enter a war and they needed to be sure that they had each other's backs and could trust the people they were fighting alongside.


	3. Chapter 3

"I don't think I can do this," Hermione whispered to Harry as she caught hold of his arm to stop him in his tracks.

The pair were about to enter a small café in Diagon Alley, which hadn't been around the last time Hermione had been in the country. But then again, following it's almost total destruction at New Year the street was looking very different from how Hermione remembered as it recovered from the attack. However, it wasn't the going into the café which bothered Hermione, it was the reason for their visit which had her worried. Harry had arranged a meeting with some of the people who had supported him during the two years Hermione had been away, and he'd persuaded Hermione to accompany him. After all, the people he was going to meet had also been friends of Hermione's.

"You're scared?" Harry asked in surprise. In the years since he'd known Hermione he'd rarely seen her scared, and in the year since their reunion he'd come to appreciate that she was even tougher than he remembered.

"Stupid isn't it?" Hermione returned with a self-deprecating smile. "I'm the daughter of The Dark Lord, yet I'm worried about meeting people I've known since I was eleven years old."

"Why are you worried?" Harry asked. "It's only the twins and Neville. Oh yeah, and Neville said he was going to ask Dean and Seamus to join us."

"I haven't seen any of them for three years, Harry," Hermione said quietly.

"And I haven't seen them for a year," Harry countered with a shrug, not quite understanding what Hermione's issue was.

"The last time I saw them I was just plain old Hermione Granger, the Gryffindor muggleborn. Now I'm Hope Riddle, daughter of The Dark Lord."

Understanding lit up Harry's face as he suddenly saw what his best friend's problem was. She was worried in case her old friends wouldn't be able to accept her knowing who she really was. Of course none of them had renounced her the way Ron had done, but it was still asking a lot of them to accept her as she now was. Especially as Harry was well aware that she would not hide her loyalty to her father. But then again, Harry himself was not about to hide his new allegiance and part of the reason he wanted to meet his old friends was to inform them of the decision he'd made.

"Maybe you should meet them alone," Hermione suggested. "I could always browse the shops for a while."

"No way," Harry replied with a shake of his head. "I want you by my side. It's not like I'm going to hide who I am either." To emphasise his point, Harry tapped his left forearm which was covered by a long sleeved jumper. "Besides, the three fathers would kill me if I allowed you to go off on your own and something happened to you."

"As I've pointed out before, I'm more than capable of looking after myself," Hermione retorted with a roll of her eyes. "I'm not some pathetic little witch who needs the big brave wizards to take care of me."

"We all know just what you're capable of, Hermione," Harry assured his best friend with a chuckle. "But we all care about you, and even you can't deny the potential danger we could be in. You have no idea how much I had to beg your father to agree to this meeting. At one point I thought he was going to insist on Snape joining us."

"No, instead he sent him undercover to watch us," Hermione remarked.

"What?" Harry's head whipped around, looking for the former Potions Master. "Where is he?"

"That wizard sitting in the café," Hermione said, gesturing to a distinguished looking grey haired wizard sitting in the window of the café they were about to enter.

"Surely he's just some old man," Harry argued.

"It's Severus," Hermione predicated. "I would say he's used an ageing potion."

"So that's what he's going to look like as an old man?" Harry asked, unable to stop himself from staring at the wizard in question, who returned his stare with a stern frown. "Yep, that's Snape all right," he muttered, blanching away from the frosty glare of the grey haired wizard.

"Told you so," Hermione replied. "So you see, we're perfectly safe."

"Which is why we should go in and meet the others," Harry said. "Even if they do react badly, we've got each other and now Snape to back us up. We have to do this, Hermione. The twins and Neville supported me without question. I want to thank them for their support and help, and assure them that no matter what happens, I will always think of them as friends."

"Okay then, let's do it," Hermione decided as she took a couple of deep breaths.

Taking hold of Hermione's hand, Harry led the way into the café. Taking care not to look towards Severus, as to not reveal his presence, Harry quickly found his friends settled in a corner booth at the back of the café. As well as the twins and Neville, Dean and Seamus were also present and everyone looked thrilled to see him and Hermione as they approached.

"I can't believe you're back," Neville Longbottom cried, getting to his feet first and embracing Harry. He then turned to Hermione and giving her a huge smile, swept her into his arms. "It's so good to see you, Hermione. We've missed you."

"I've missed you too," Hermione replied, returning the hug.

Once Neville let her go, the twins then swept her up in their crushing embraces. It was then the turn of Dean and Seamus, and by the time Hermione stepped out of Dean's embrace, she was overcome with emotion. So far her worries were unfounded as it was clear that everyone was thrilled to see her.

"We want to know everything," Fred said as the group settled back down into the booth and George went off to order milkshakes all round.

"Us too," Harry replied. "We've got a lot of catching up to do."

"I'm not sure much has changed since you left," Neville admitted with a shrug.

"That's not what I hear," Harry answered as George returned with the drinks. "According to Draco's friends you've all distanced yourself from Ron."

"We did what was right," Dean said with a shrug. "Neville made sure we knew the truth after your departure."

"Thank you Neville," Harry said softly. "I know what Dumbledore was saying, so I appreciate you telling my side of the story."

"The twins helped," Neville replied with a slightly embarrassed blush.

"Yeah, we were more than happy to help set the record straight," George said. "And I think given how supportive our family is of Dumbledore, we were believed. After all, why would we contradict our family if we weren't telling the truth?"

"How are your family?" Harry asked. He knew there'd been tensions between the twins and their family before his departure, and he was sure their aiding of him wouldn't have gone down well.

"In all honesty, we don't really know," Fred admitted. "What happened after you left was the final straw. We walked away from their lies and questionable behaviour and we've never looked back. But Mum and Dad still have Ron and Ginny sticking by them."

"Just Ron and Ginny?" Hermione questioned with a frown. "What about your other brothers?"

"Percy is keeping his thoughts to himself," Fred explained. "To be honest, I think he's waiting until he's forced in order to choose a side."

"And you can bet whichever side he chooses will be the one coming out on top," George snorted. "You know our Percy, he's all about looking out for number one."

"He does have a self-preservation streak that even a Slytherin would be proud of," Hermione admitted. "And what about Bill and Charlie? Surely they have an opinion on what's going on."

"After you'd left, Mum wrote to them trying to get them to come back," George said. "They actually did come home for a visit, but Harry here filled them in on what had been happening and they left again in disgust."

"And have they not been back?" Harry asked. The incident George had mentioned had taken place over Christmas in his fifth year, and even though Bill and Charlie had left disgusted with their parents, Harry knew Molly and Arthur hadn't given up on persuading them to return home.

"No," Fred replied. "George and I have been keeping them abreast of latest developments. They feel the same way we do."

"Which is?" Hermione asked quietly.

"That our parents and the Order are in the wrong," George said, reaching across the table and taking hold of Hermione's hand. "They had no right to take you as a child. And it makes us sick to think of what Mum would have done to you with the help of Sirius. We're done with them, Hermione. We don't want to be associated with their disgusting antics."

"And that's the same for us," Neville said, gesturing to himself, Dean and Seamus. "Even Gran is refusing to have anything to do with the Order."

"That's quite widespread actually," Dean said. "From what we can gather the Order are down to the bare bones. The Professors at Hogwarts won't stand with them, and a lot of other people won't get involved either."

"That might change once Father gets going," Hermione conceded.

"Given the start to the year, I think he's already gotten going," Fred remarked. "But this is just the beginning, isn't it?"

"It is," Hermione confirmed with a nod. "We're back now and we plan to bring down Dumbledore and his Order."

"We?" Seamus questioned quietly.

"We," Hermione repeated with a firm nod of her head. "Even when I first discovered he was my father, I had no intention of joining him. I went to him for safety above all else. But I got to know him, and I grew to love him. So yes, I will be standing with my father."

"No-one can blame you for having a relationship with your father, Hermione," Neville said. "I think it's good that you can still have that and Dumbledore didn't manage to destroy your bond with your parents completely."

"I'm lucky I've still got my father," Hermione admitted. "But I won't ever get to know my mother as she's dead."

"I'm sorry Hermione," Dean said, and his sentiment was echoed by the others.

"Me too," Hermione whispered. "But it's just another thing Dumbledore took away from me. My mother killed herself because she thought I was dead, and that is because of Dumbledore, and everyone else involved in my kidnapping. I know that involves your parents, Fred and George, but I can't overlook their part in what happened. Nor can I overlook the fact your mother plotted to kill me."

"I'm not sure we can say we support what is clearly going to happen, but I don't think we can blame you either," Fred said softly. "In your shoes, I would want retribution."

"And that's exactly what I intend to get," Hermione said. "But only against those who deserve it. We promise to keep you all safe and away from whatever goes down with the Order."

"That we again," George remarked with a chuckle. "And why do I get the feeling, Harry is part of the we."

"I am part of the we," Harry said as he pulled back his jumper and revealed his freshly made Dark Mark.

"Whoa," Dean gasped, pulling back from the sight of Harry's arm on the table.

"I've chosen my side," Harry said as he recovered the mark. "After everything Dumbledore and the Order have done, I cannot stand with them. As if it wasn't bad enough to kidnap a baby, they then destroyed Hermione's reputation when the truth threatened to come out. They even tried to make it seem as though she was my enemy."

"I don't mean to sound rude here, but how can you support him?" Seamus questioned. "I get that you can't stand with the Order. None of us can either. But how can you support the wizard that killed your parents?"

"I can support him because he's Hermione's father," Harry answered. "I can support him because standing with him is the only way I can help bring down Dumbledore. And mainly I can support him, because I believe he was driven by grief when he killed my parents. I've seen him with Hermione, and I've seen how much he loves her. The fact I'm alive is proof of how much he loves her, and what he would do for her. And if he is like this now, then just think of what he might have been like if he'd had a lifetime of love. I believe having a daughter would have changed him for the better, but instead Dumbledore stole her, broke his heart and set him down a path of such darkness that not even being reunited with his precious daughter would help alter his path. He is who he is, and I am willing to support him until the bitter end. If you want someone to blame for all this mess, look at Dumbledore. He's the reason I've embraced my inner darkness, and he's the reason that when it comes to the crunch, I will be standing with The Dark Lord."

"Wow," Neville muttered. "That is a point of view I'd never considered before."

"We're not going to ask you to join us," Harry said. "All we're asking is that you don't judge us. Circumstances have placed us at this point, and Hermione and I are both just doing what we believe if right for us. You may not be able to stand with us, but I do hope you won't stand against us. You're our friends, and we don't want to be on different sides of a war."

"I won't be standing against anyone," Neville said. "Call it cowardly if you want, but I won't be choosing sides. Or should I say, I can't support the Order but I also don't feel as if I can support You-Know-Who."

"I understand that Neville," Hermione said with a small smile. "And I hope that when the dust is settled, we can still be friends."

"I hope so to," Neville replied.

"And that goes for all of you," Hermione said. "If you do want to stand with us, we'd be delighted, but we would never hate you for choosing not to. I can understand why you can't support my father. I just hope you can understand why I can support him."

"We understand, Hermione," Fred assured her. "And I guess, I would never say never on joining you. At this moment in time, I would say it won't be happening. But then again, I would have sworn that Dumbledore and the Order were good people. Who knows what might happen next and what direction we chose to go in. But I do know one thing. You two are our friends, and nothing is going to change that."

"We appreciate that, Fred," Harry said with a smile. "And even if you never fight by our side, we appreciate you telling people the truth about what really happened with the Order."

"There are still people who believe Dumbledore though," Seamus pointed out. "Even if they're not willing to fight for him, they still believe what he's saying about you. A lot of people are convinced that Hermione has manipulated you into leaving. They don't believe you're with her of your own free will."

"I'm sure that will change sooner rather than later," Harry replied with a mysterious smirk.

"What's going on? What are we missing?" Neville asked with a frown.

"Let's just say father is currently planning on announcing our return in a big way," Hermione smirked. "And from what I gather, he plans to make Harry a rather central part of that plan."

"So before long even Dumbledore won't be able to deny I've picked a side of my own free will," Harry said. "Soon the entire wizarding world will know that The Boy Who Lived has joined forces with The Dark Lord."


	4. Chapter 4

Instead of a meeting to introduce Hermione and the others to his Death Eaters, Voldemort changed his mind and instead organised a party for his followers. Not only would it be the perfect way for his daughter to make their debut, but he was well aware that news of the party would leak back to the Order and announce to Dumbledore that they were back. Of course, he still had another way of announcing their return, a way in which everyone would see once and for all which side Harry was truly on. But for now, the focus was on the party and making sure his Death Eaters accepted Hermione.

The party was being held at Malfoy Manor, at Narcissa's insistence, and despite only having a few days to organise it, Voldemort could tell it would be a perfect party. Narcissa had sorted out which rooms on the ground floor were to be used for the party, including a room which led out into the gardens for those wanting some air. She'd also had the house elves sort the food and drink, and there were tables piled high with all sorts of delicious treats. And she'd also take the time to accompany Hermione to Paris, where they'd shopped for outfits for the party.

On the evening of the party, Voldemort decided that he wanted to make a big arrival with Hermione, so when the others were ready, they headed downstairs to greet the guests while he and Hermione stayed upstairs. Once everyone had arrived and the party was in full swing, Lucius sent a message to The Dark Lord, and he sent one back asking Lucius to prepare his followers for his arrival.

"Are you ready, Hope?" Voldemort called as he knocked on Hermione's bedroom door.

"I am," Hermione replied as she swung open the door.

At the sight of his daughter, all dressed up in a long, well fitted black and blood red dress, Voldemort felt a bit emotional. She looked so much like her mother it was spooky, and while he'd been nourishing the part of his daughter that was like him over the last three years, it was occurring to him that there was so much of Ella in her.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked with a confused frown as her father just stared at her. "Do you not like the dress?"

She knew the dress was pretty sexy, but she thought it highlighted the fact she was no longer a little girl. She was a woman, and she didn't want her father's Death Eaters thinking she was a child and to be underestimated. She wanted to be considered a witch to be taken seriously.

"The dress is perfect," Voldemort replied as he found his voice. "You look like your mother."

"I can change if you would rather," Hermione offered, even though she didn't know if she had anything else to wear to the party.

"No, don't change," Voldemort insisted. "You look lovely, Hope. So are you ready to face your destiny?"

"I am," Hermione confirmed with a nod. "Let's get going to this party."

Voldemort offered his arm to Hermione, and together they headed towards the stairs. As they walked down the stairs, the front hallway came into view and they saw that Lucius had gathered the Death Eaters. As the Death Eaters spotted Voldemort and Hermione they began to clap. Voldemort nodded approvingly at the reception as he and Hermione paused a few steps from the bottom of the stairs.

"Welcome," Voldemort called loudly to his gathered Death Eaters. "You all know why you're here this evening. Tonight is to welcome my daughter Hope to our ranks. Over the next few months our plan is to fully eliminate Dumbledore and his Order, but for tonight, let's drink and be merry. But before we begin, I want you all to raise a glass to my daughter. To Hope."

"Hope," the Death Eaters chorused as they raised their glasses and toasted the daughter of The Dark Lord.

Hermione smiled softly as she looked around the gathered Death Eaters, and her eyes fell on Draco and Harry standing with Draco's friends. Hermione was eager to join her best friend and boyfriend, but she was aware that before she could have some fun, her father wanted to show her off. And sure enough, once the toasting had ended, Voldemort took hold of her arm and led her into the throng of Death Eaters.

For the next ten minutes, he introduced her to a selection of his followers. A couple of times Hermione thought she saw a bit of hesitancy in the eyes of the people she was meeting, but on a whole they greeted her with deference. Although Hermione knew that in time she would hopefully gain their genuine respect as she proved herself at her father's side. Just as Hermione was hoping she could soon leave her father and go and find Draco and Harry, Voldemort led her towards a wildly beautiful witch with jet black hair, and two handsome dark haired wizards.

"Hope, I want you to meet three of my most loyal followers," Voldemort said. "This is Bellatrix, Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange. They were all in Azkaban until last year."

"Bellatrix," Hermione said. "You're Narcissa's sister, aren't you?"

"I am," Bellatrix replied with a half smile. "Not that you would know it to look at us, we're very different."

"I don't know, you're both very beautiful," Hermione remarked. "Albeit in very different ways."

"Oh, I like you Hope," Bellatrix cackled. "I just hope your fighting skills is as smooth as your tongue."

"My fighting skills are exceptional," Hermione replied boastfully.

"As is your confidence," Voldemort chuckled.

"You taught me to be confident," Hermione retorted with a shrug. "And it's not misplaced, isn't it? I am an exceptional fighter."

"You've come on very well in the last three years," Voldemort remarked. "But the real test is still to come. It's one thing being able to hold your own in a controlled environment, but how will you fare against the real enemy. That is the real test, Hope."

"One I fully intended to pass," Hermione replied with confidence.

"There's nothing quite like the thrill of action," Bellatrix said, her face lighting up at the mere thought of action. "You're going to love it, Hope."

"And will we be seeing some more action soon?" Rodolphus asked. Things had been heating up these last few months, but all the Death Eaters were eager for the real battles to begin.

"Very soon," Voldemort vowed. "Why don't we discuss my plans, while Hope goes and finds her friends. I can't keep her by my side all evening."

"I'll see you later, Daddy," Hermione said, giving Voldemort a peck on the cheek before she sauntered off to find Draco, Harry and Draco's friends.

Hermione found the group taking a breather outside. Even at a glance she could see Harry was fitting into the group nicely, and from the looks of things both Pansy and Daphne were hanging on his every word. However, Draco only had eyes for her and the second she stepped out into the gardens, his entire face lit up and he was by her side in an instant.

"Finally, I thought I was going to have to come and fight The Dark Lord for you," he joked.

"You would never have dared," Hermione laughed as they joined the others.

"I'm not scared of him," Draco boasted.

"Of course you are," Harry chuckled. "You'd be mad not to be scared of him."

"Are you scared of him?" Pansy asked.

"I'm not as scared of him as I used to be, but I still have a healthy dose of fear for him," Harry admitted. "As I'm sure even Hermione has."

"I wouldn't say I was scared of father, but I am sometimes still wary of him," Hermione admitted.

"So are you going to also admit to being scared of The Dark Lord, Draco?" Blaise challenged.

"I am not scared of him," Draco insisted.

"Not even when he's part of the three fathers?" Harry teased.

"The three fathers?" Daphne questioned with a confused frown.

"The Dark Lord, Lucius and Snape," Harry explained. "It's what Draco calls them when they're being protective of Hermione."

"Which is all the bloody time," Draco grouched. "Trust me to fall for a witch with a formidable father and two other dangerous wizards who love her as a daughter."

"But surely Lucius isn't as bad," Theo argued. "He's your father."

"You would think that would make things easier, wouldn't you?" Draco said with a sigh. "But I'm sure when it comes to Hermione, he forgets that I'm his actual son."

"You're just jealous because I was the favourite," Hermione teased.

"Yes, yes, we all know you were the favourite," Draco retorted with a roll of his eyes. "You're their little dark princess."

"Do not call me princess," Hermione growled.

"Don't you like it, princess?" Draco asked tauntingly.

"No, I do not," Hermione replied. "And if you're not careful, I'll show you exactly how dangerous it can be to mock The Dark Lord's daughter."

"Oh, are you going to get tough with me?" Draco chuckled with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.

"I wish you two would save your antics for the bedroom," Harry muttered. "We have no desire to watch you get suggestive."

"Honestly Harry, we need to find you a girlfriend," Draco said. "Maybe some action of your own will lighten you up. It's not like Hermione and I are ripping each other's clothes off right in front of you."

"Give you time and I'm sure it might happen, the pair of you have no shame," Harry tutted.

"I promise all clothes will be kept on," Hermione vowed with a laugh. "Should we head back inside? I could do with something to eat."

"Food sounds good," Vince said eagerly.

"Food always sounds good to you and Greg," Blaise laughed as they group turned to head back indoors.

However, as they were heading back into the manor Theo walked smack bang into a tall figure and almost fell down on his backside. The figure immediately turned on Theo and growled at him to watch where he was going.

"Sorry," Theo muttered.

"It wasn't your fault, Theo, it was this oaf not watching where he was going," Harry said as he turned to glare at the wizard who'd almost knocked Theo over. "Isn't that right, Dolohov?"

"Yes, it was my fault," Dolohov said hastily. "Sorry young Nott."

With a withering glare at Harry, he then quickly made his departure leaving the Slytherins looking at Harry in bewilderment. Only Hermione and Draco understood why Dolohov had been so wary of Harry, and had backed down in the face of his annoyance. After all, he'd already learnt what happened when you messed with Harry.

"What was that?" Blaise asked. "Why did that Death Eater back down so quickly?"

"You could say he and I have history," Harry replied with a shrug.

"What sort of history?" Daphne questioned.

"You all know about the training we did while we were away," Harry began. "Well one session involved dealing with some Death Eaters. Dolohov was one of the ones I had to fight, but he took it too far and came back for more. He actually tried to kill me."

"Really?" Pansy gasped.

"He thought The Dark Lord would appreciate it," Draco said. "But he soon found out how wrong he was."

"What happened?" Blaise asked.

"First, I got away from him and left him in a pretty bad way, then The Dark Lord tortured him," Harry explained.

"It was a lesson not to mess with our family," Hermione said. "And Harry is part of our family."

"Which is why Dolohov is so jumpy around you," Theo said with a chuckle.

"Oh yeah, Harry showed him who was boss," Hermione said with a proud smile.

"Damn, you lot are all so cool," Blaise muttered. "I wish we'd had the same sort of training."

"I'm sure we can arrange for you to have some," Draco offered. "It won't be the same as ours, but it might help you when the fighting begins."

"Which is going to be soon," Hermione warned. "When I left my father, he was running his ideas past the Lestranges. He wants to make his next move sooner rather than later."

"Although his next move is more showy than actual fighting," Harry pointed out.

"I'm sure there's going to be some fighting as well," Hermione said.

"Just what is The Dark Lord's next move?" Theo asked.

"Next week there's an England quidditch match being held," Draco said. "The Dark Lord is going to use it as a platform to announce his intentions, and to show the world he has his daughter and Harry Potter at his side."

"Ah, he's going to stop the rumours that Harry was lured away by his devious best friend?" Blaise chuckled.

"We're going to show people I'm exactly where I want to be," Harry confirmed. "That should take the wind from Dumbledore's sails."

"Oh, I can't wait," Pansy said with a wicked chuckle.

"Well, there's no fighting tonight, so let's just enjoy the party," Hermione suggested. "I don't know about anyone else, but I'm still hungry."

Laughing merrily, the group headed off to finally grab some food and enjoy the rest of the party. Of course they were now looking forward to Voldemort's public show at the upcoming quidditch match, but for now they were content to relax and enjoy the evening mingling with the other Death Eaters. After all, it was where they all belonged now and very soon they would have the chance to prove that they were worthy of The Dark Mark that they all bore on their left forearm.


	5. Chapter 5

As Voldemort had predicted, word of the party at Malfoy Manor reached the Order. In fact they'd heard rumours of the party before it happened, so on the night of the party a small group were in the vicinity of the manor, but not able to get too close because of the extensive wards around the property, to try and spot something interesting. Sadly, all they saw was the large house lit up, and vague figures enjoying the evening. Not only could they not make out anyone who attended the party, but they couldn't even get clarification that Hermione and Harry were back in the country.

The morning after the party, while the party-goers were having lie-ins and recovering from the night before, the Order gathered for an early meeting. Although these days the Order was severely depleted, and they'd even lost some of the people who had joined them in the aftermath of Voldemort's return. As Dumbledore had feared, not having Harry among their numbers had caused people to waver and become unsure of their support for the Order. But despite their low numbers, Dumbledore was determined that the fight would go on.

"So last night was a total bust," Sirius Black grouched once everyone had gathered.

"We didn't get proof of Harry's presence at the manor?" Molly Weasley checked.

"We couldn't get close enough to see anything more than shadowy figures," Remus Lupin replied. He'd been part of the small group at the manor the previous evening, along with Sirius, and the three Aurors in the Order, Alastor Moody, Kingsley Shackelbolt and Nymphadora Tonks.

"It was too risky," Moody announced before anyone started to complain about their tactics. "The manor is always heavily guarded, but a quick check revealed extra wards have recently been erected."

"Which implies they feel they need extra protection," Dumbledore mused. "We might not have proof, but I'm confident in saying that Harry is with them."

"I think we can all agree on that," Arthur Weasley said. "After all, we did have that report last week that he'd been seen in Diagon Alley."

"Did anyone ever manage to confirm that sighting?" Dumbledore asked. In actual fact the sighting had claimed Hermione was with him, and they'd met up with the Weasley twins and Harry's former Gryffindor dorm-mates.

"Neville, Dean and Seamus won't talk to me," Ron Weasley admitted with a slight grimace. It still hurt that his friends had cut him off, and truth be told he was still angry over the things they'd said to him last time they'd spoken.

"And the twins?" Dumbledore pressed. "They were also rumoured to be present."

"You know how things stand there, Albus," Molly said quietly. "I did try and talk to them, but they said it was their business who they met up with."

"So they wouldn't confirm it?" Tonks checked.

"No, they didn't confirm it, but neither did they deny it," Molly replied. "If I had to guess, I would say they saw Harry, and quite possibly Hermione."

"We all know Voldemort wouldn't be back without Hermione," Dumbledore began. "And since the Malfoys also appear to be back, I think it's fair to say they're back."

"Why have they come back now?" Ginny Weasley asked. Technically she wasn't an official part of the Order, but with them being so depleted in numbers her parents had allowed her to be involved over the summer before she went back to school.

"What do you mean?" Andromeda Tonks asked with a frown. Andromeda and her husband, Ted, had joined the Order with their daughter when she'd been recruited by her former mentor, Alastor Moody.

"I mean, why are they suddenly back," Ginny said. "They've been gone for three years, and even then the dark have been able to carry out their attacks. Since the New Year things have been heating up, and still they haven't come home until now. What makes now so special?"

"The only thing that springs to mind is the end of the school year," Remus mused.

"And not just any year," Dumbledore added, the timing of The Dark Lord's return suddenly making sense. "This would have been Hermione, Harry and Draco's final year at school."

"Are you saying they've been away to finish their education?" Molly questioned in disbelief.

"Why not," Dumbledore returned with a shrug. "The timing certainly fits. For three years, Voldemort has clearly been based elsewhere and merely travelling back to oversee the chaos his followers were causing. Yet now everyone is back just as the end of school arrives. Although at the end of the day, I don't suppose it really matters why they're back now. The point is, they're back, and now we have to decide our next move."

"Do we have a next move to make?" Sirius snorted. "We've merely been responding to You-Know-Who's moves for months now. How do we take the initiative?"

"In my opinion, if we want to get rid of Voldemort, the first thing we need to do is get Harry back on our side," Dumbledore announced.

"Yeah, because that will work," Ron snorted in derision. "Are you forgetting that he left of his own accord? That rubbish we've been peddling about him being lured away by Hermione, is just that, rubbish. Maybe we need to face the fact that he's lost to us."

"Never," Sirius hissed. "I will not rest until he's free from the darks clutches. James and Lily will be turning in their graves at how things stand at the moment."

"I have to agree," Remus said gently. "We owe it to Harry to save him from the darkness he's found himself swamped in."

"And what if he doesn't want to be saved?" Ginny asked.

"Tough, whether he wants it or not, it's what is going to happen," Sirius insisted.

"Too right," Rubeus Hagrid agreed with a hearty nod.

Aside from Dumbledore, he was the only other member of staff from Hogwarts in the Order as the rest of them had deserted the group following events with Hermione three years ago. But Hagrid's loyalty with firmly with Dumbledore, and he would be by his side until the bitter end.

"We're still going to have to do more than get Harry back though," Molly pointed out. "Even if we get him back, he won't stand with us, and without Harry fighting with us, we're in no better shape."

"It's true, we're going to have to do more than get Harry away from the dark," Dumbledore conceded. "We're going to have to get him fighting on our side again. We need to have him seen going head to head with Hermione and her father."

"And in that case, who says it has to be Harry?" Sirius asked with a devious smirk. "Once he's back with us, we can keep him safe and using polyjuice potion, someone can fight alongside us. Everyone will think it's the real Harry, and not even the dark will be able to tell he hasn't turned back to us."

"Now that is a very good idea, Sirius," Dumbledore said, thoroughly impressed with the idea.

He'd been so focused on getting Harry back, he hadn't thought about how to get him to fight for them again, but Sirius may just have hit on the perfect solution. To get people to support them, all they really needed to do was make them believe they had Harry back on their side. Of course, they would still need to come up with a plan to deal with Voldemort and his daughter, but that would be easier once they had Harry back. Plus, it would be a great blow if they could convince the dark, and particularly Hermione, that Harry truly was back with the light. Maybe if they planned things carefully they could even make it look as though Harry had been the one to kill Hermione. Now that really would be a blow to the dark, and help people rally to their cause.

"Before we worry about how to deal with Harry once he's back, we need a plan to get him back," Moody pointed out.

"We do, but I think we need to agree that anything we discuss cannot leave this room," Dumbledore said. "If word of our plan slips back to the dark, we won't stand a cat in hells chance of getting anywhere near to Harry."

"No-one will say a word," Sirius said, speaking for everyone in the room. Although everyone nodded their agreement at the same time, silently promising to keep quiet about whatever plans they came up with.

"Do you have any ideas how we can get Harry?" Kingsley Shackelbolt asked. Technically as an Auror, he and Tonks shouldn't be condoning the conversation currently taking place, but they were in the middle of a war, and in wartime drastic measures were sometimes called for.

"Now that is where I'm struggling," Dumbledore admitted. "I think we can safely say taking him from Malfoy Manor is out. But as the jaunt in Diagon Alley shows, he is sometimes going to venture out."

"So what do we do?" Ron asked. "Camp outside of the manor and wait for him to leave?"

"I don't think that will work," Moody replied with a sharp bark of laughter. "The closest you can get to the manor is still a fair distance away from the actual house. But then it's not like they use the front door to come and go. You could be right outside the house, and still not know who was inside and who had left."

"So how do we find Harry then?" Ginny questioned. "Are we just going to rely on luck, and hope that someone spots him and we find out in time to reach him and grab him?"

"Ginny has a point," Molly said. "We heard about his trip to Diagon Alley after the event. What are the chances we're going to hear about him being out and about and be able to get to him before he's back at the safety of the manor."

"What we need is some way to track him," Sirius said.

"But what way?" Remus asked. "His under-age trace is long gone, and I'm sure by now he's passed his apparition test. I don't even suppose we can ask the Ministry for help as he's an adult and there's nothing they can do if he chooses to be with the dark."

"No, the Ministry will be of no use to us," Dumbledore admitted. "We're going to have to find a different way to track Harry's movements."

"Couldn't we use a simple tracking spell?" Tonks suggested. "All we would need is some of his D.N.A to be able to get a lock on him and track his movements."

"Could there be anything in his old room?" Dumbledore asked Sirius. "After all, he didn't take half of his things when he went."

"There might be," Sirius admitted. "Truth be told, I left things as they were. I was always hoping that one day he would be home."

"Can you go and see if you can find anything," Dumbledore said. "A comb, a toothbrush, even something he wore that hasn't been washed. All we need is a little bit of Harry, and Tonks is right, we can trace him. Then we just wait and when the time is right, we strike and bring him back to where his belongs."

While Sirius headed off to search Harry's old room, Dumbledore and the rest of the Order spoke about what would happen if they could establish a tracking spell on Harry. If they wanted to grab him, it would mean keeping an all-round watch on Harry so they didn't miss the perfect opportunity to take him. Although they were also aware that they would have to find a way of finding out if he was alone when he left the safety of the manor, as they couldn't risk trying to snatch him when too many other people were present. What they needed to do was get hold of Harry with the minimum of fuss.

When Sirius returned with both a comb and a toothbrush that had belonged to Harry, the Order were drawing up a timetable so that Harry's movements would be constantly watched by at least one member of the Order.

"This is all I can find," he announced as he placed the comb and toothbrush on the table. "Kreacher seems to have washed all the clothes."

"We should be able to get something from one of these," Moody said. "Do you want, Kingsley, Tonks and I to sort the tracking spell?"

"You are the professionals," Dumbledore replied with a nod. "How long will it take?"

"A few days, possibly even a week," Moody replied. "These spells can be pretty complex, especially as we're dealing with D.N.A which is so old. So we're going to have to be patient."

"I think we can afford a bit of patience," Dumbledore said. "It'll be worth it to have Harry back where he belongs."

But what Dumbledore didn't realise was that plans were afoot to show the wizarding world just where Harry's loyalty lay. And in the time it would take the Order to sort out their tracking spell, the dark were going to make their move, and after that it was going to be harder than ever to convince anyone that Harry had turned his back on the dark and once again embraced his destiny as 'The Chosen One'.


	6. Chapter 6

Hermione pulled on her black jacket, before pausing to examine her reflection in the mirror. She was dressed all in black, her long hair had been tied up in a high ponytail, and she was ready for action. Finally she would be getting the chance to prove herself as The Dark Lord's daughter, and she couldn't wait. After days of planning it was time for the dark to show their hand and let the wizarding world know that Harry and Voldemort were standing together, and would bring down Albus Dumbledore.

"Hope, are you coming?" Voldemort's impatient voice called from somewhere on the ground floor of the manor.

"Yeah," Hermione shouted back, amplifying her voice so her father could hear her.

Checking her wand was secure in her jacket pocket, Hermione turned on her heel and stalked out of her bedroom. Even though she poked her head in both Draco and Harry's room, there was no sign of either of them, and she suspected that they were already downstairs ready to go. Sure enough she found both her boyfriend and best friend pacing the front hallway of the manor, clearly anxious to be off. Voldemort, Lucius and Severus were also in the hallway, and both Severus and Lucius were dressed in their black robes and clutching silver masks in their hands.

"Finally, we were about to go without you," Voldemort muttered, shooting his daughter an impatient look.

"You wouldn't have," Hermione replied confidently. "You need me for part of the show."

"Speaking of which, do you all know what you're doing?" Voldemort checked with the three teenagers.

"We know what's expected of us," Draco confirmed with a nod.

"Yeah, we're ready," Harry agreed.

"Hope, you're to go with Lucius and Severus," Voldemort ordered. "Harry, you're coming with me. And Draco, you're going with your aunt."

"Where is Bella?" Draco asked, noticing for the first time that his aunt was missing.

"I'm here," Bellatrix called as she sauntered out of the front room with Narcissa following behind her.

"Are you sure you don't want to come, Cissa?" Lucius checked with his wife as he drew her into his arms.

"Actually, I think I might come and watch the fun," Narcissa replied with a smirk. Fighting wasn't really her thing, but she could handle herself, and truth be told she didn't want to miss the fun of Harry being revealed to be standing with The Dark Lord.

"In that case, you can go with Bella and Draco," Voldemort said. "Would you like a mask, Narcissa?"

"I don't think that will be necessary," Narcissa answered with a shrug. "Consider me more of a spectator."

"More like a silent assassin," Bellatrix cackled. "I bet you ten galleons you take someone out before the end of the evening."

"I guess we'll just have to see how the night unfolds," Narcissa returned with an innocent looking smile which hid the fact that deep down she was every bit as dangerous as her older sister.

"If we don't move, we're going to be late," Voldemort announced. "Let's go."

Jumping to follow orders, everyone prepared to leave and several cracks of apparition echoed around the front hallway of the manor as everyone departed for their destination. Their destination was a field in the middle of nowhere, where a quidditch stadium had been erected for a friendly match between the England quidditch team and their fierce rivals, France.

While Draco arrived at the destination with his aunt and mother, and they moved into position. Harry and Voldemort were doing the same at another part of the stadium, and at yet another part of the stadium, Hermione had arrived with Lucius and Severus. Even though none of the teenagers were wearing masks, Lucius and Severus were planning on starting the evening with theirs on, so they slid their silver masks over their faces before they made their next move.

"Are you ready?" Severus asked Hermione.

"I am," Hermione replied, suppressing a slight shudder at the sight of Severus and Lucius in their Death Eater masks. They really were bone chilling masks, and she could understand why people were put off by them.

"Let's go then," Lucius said, leading the way towards the stadium.

Despite the security it wasn't hard to get into the stadium. Lucius and Severus basically knocked out every guard they came across, and because they'd timed their arrival to coincide with the match starting, no-one heard the couple of guards who tried to sound the alarm. Hermione knew the same thing would be happing all around the stadium, and within fifteen minutes a hidden pack of Death Eaters would be spread out all around the stadium.

The end location for Hermione, Lucius and Severus was the V.I.P box, where the Minister for Magic himself would be present. Hermione was looking forward to seeing Fudge again, as she had every intention of making him regret the day he'd decided to believe Dumbledore over her. Dumbledore may have been the one to spread lies about her and blacken her name, but Fudge had just sat back and allowed him to do so. He'd allowed the headmaster to pull the wool over his eyes and Hermione was determined that he would pay for his foolishness.

"Is this it?" Hermione whispered as they came to a halt in a small space behind one of the many stands which combined together to make the stadium.

"It is," Lucius replied. "You stay here, and Severus and I will see if we can sneak into the back of the stand. It would be easier if we were already in the stand when your father makes his move."

Obediently, Hermione stayed where she was as Severus and Lucius tried to make sure they were in the best possible position for the next phase of their plan. For a couple of minutes all she could hear was the sound of the crowd cheering as they watched the match, and she hoped her father didn't make his presence felt before they were ready. Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long before Severus came back for her.

"We're in," he informed her in a low voice.

Taking hold of her hand, he led her through the hidden panels of the stadium, and through a loose board which led into the Minister's box. Lucius was standing at the back of the box, and considering no-one was giving him a second glance, Hermione suspected he was disillusioned. Hermione slid into position next to Lucius, and Severus settled himself on her other side. Now she had protection on both side as they waited for her father to strike.

"How long do you think it will be?" she whispered after a good five minutes.

"We just have to be patient," Lucius whispered back. "Your father said he and Harry would pick their moment."

"I hope it's soon, I hate quidditch," Hermione grouched, causing both Lucius and Severus to chuckle softly.

As time continued to tick on, Hermione began to wonder if her father and Harry had gotten themselves distracted by the match. Although if they had done, she was going to kill them. She was bursting to make their presence felt, and as she kept eyeing up Fudge, who was sitting at the front of the box as though he didn't have a care in the world, she was itching to move.

"Patience," Severus muttered in her ear, sensing her restlessness.

"Sod patience, I've been patient for three years," Hermione hissed. "Tonight is supposed to be our night, our moment to shine."

"And it will be," Lucius assured her as he gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

Hoping that Lucius was right, and that nothing had gone wrong, Hermione settled back to wait for her father to make his move. However, she didn't have to wait long as gasps began to echo around the stadium and the players faltered in their play. Hermione was eager to move forward to get a better view, but it really wasn't necessary as her father soon came into view, seemingly floating in the air without a broomstick.

"Is he flying on his own?" Hermione questioned, her eyes widening at the sight of her father floating above the ground.

"Don't ask how he does it, as he won't say," Severus said. "It's his secret."

"One I intend to learn," Hermione muttered as she narrowed her eyes at her father, slightly annoyed that he'd kept such a big secret from her.

"Ssh, we'll miss the fun if you keep talking," Lucius hissed.

Although the fun was just beginning as after a couple of moments of stunned shock in the stadium, people began to realise the danger. Screams and distressed cries began to echo around the stadium as people realised The Dark Lord was putting on a show. And the noise only increased when people tried to leave the stands only to find their way magically barred and Death Eaters emerging from the shadows to keep them trapped inside the stadium.

"People, there is no need to panic," Voldemort called, his voice magically amplified so everyone could hear. "No-one will be hurt if they do as we say."

"And what is it you want?" Fudge asked shakily, steeping forward as the most senior person in attendance.

"Ah Minister, how good to see you," Voldemort called with a cold cackle. "And I do believe there is someone else eager to speak with you."

Knowing it was her cue, Hermione stepped forward from the back of the box, leaving behind Lucius's disillusionment charm. Hermione was aware that all eyes were on her as she moved forward, the other guests in the box shrinking to the side to allow her to walk directly up to the Minister.

"Hello Minister," Hermione said sweetly.

"Miss Granger," Fudge stammered, glancing around and finding there was no escape as slightly behind Hermione, standing on either side of her, was two Death Eaters.

"Riddle," Hermione corrected loudly, vaguely aware that her father had cast a spell on her to amplify her voice so the entire stadium could hear. "My name is Hope Riddle. But you know that, don't you Minister? You know the truth about what happened to me as a child, because I told you. I told you the truth, and you decided to believe the lies Dumbledore told you."

"The evidence," Fudge began.

"The evidence was falsified," Hermione interrupted with a yell. "If you'd really looked, you would have found the truth. But you didn't want to find the truth, did you? You wanted to believe Dumbledore. You all wanted to believe Dumbledore."

"And that is the greatest mistake this country has made," Voldemort said. "You're all so willing to believe everything that comes out of Albus Dumbledore's mouth. But what if I was to tell you he's done nothing but lie to you? I'm sure you've all heard the rumours about my daughter, and here she is in the flesh. Dumbledore says she doesn't exist, but there is my Hope."

"I am The Dark Lord's daughter," Hermione announced to the crowds. "And I was kidnapped as a child and stolen from my parents. But I found out the truth, and I reclaimed my destiny."

"And Hope wasn't the only one to see through Dumbledore," Voldemort said. "You've all read the stories about Harry Potter. But why don't we ask the wizard himself what's going on?"

At Harry's name there were gasps of surprise, and a ripple of noise ran around the stadium when a figure on a broomstick suddenly flew out of the tunnel the players emerged from. The figure flew straight towards Voldemort, and he came to a halt beside The Dark Lord. In the glare of the lights of the stadium, there wasn't anyone who didn't know they were looking at Harry Potter.

"Ladies and gentleman, I give you 'The Boy Who Lived' - Mr Harry Potter," Voldemort cried, gesturing to the wizard next to him.

"Thank you for the welcome, My Lord," Harry replied with a chuckle, his voice also amplified for everyone to hear. "I'm here to put the record straight. Albus Dumbledore is a liar. I left this country because of what he did to my best friend. He kidnapped her as a child, he kept her from her parents, and then he did nothing as a plot to kill her unfolded. He then spread lies about her and blackened her name. And now he's done the same to me. Well, I want to make it clear that I'm under no-one's influence. I am exactly where I want to be. And just in case it isn't clear to people, the place I want to be is here, at The Dark Lord's side."

"No," Fudge cried as around the stadium cries of distress and sobs could now be heard as the wizarding public realised that their saviour wasn't willing to fight for them. "Please Harry, this isn't you."

"Yes, Minister, this is me," Harry replied. "And if you want to find someone to blame, look no further than Dumbledore. He drove me to this."

"It's not too late, you can still step back from this," Fudge urged. "Don't let the darkness win, Harry."

"I want the darkness to win," Harry cackled. "Just look at me Minister, my allegiance is with The Dark Lord and his daughter."

"You," Fudge hissed, whirling around and glaring at Hermione. "This is all your fault you little monster."

In a rare show of bravery, Fudge lunged for Hermione and grabbed her by the arms so she couldn't reach for her wand. However, not only had he failed to consider the fact she still had Lucius and Severus at her back, he'd failed to realise how tough the witch he was dealing with truly was. Hermione's reaction was instantaneous, and while she couldn't reach for her wand, she had other weapons at her disposal and she violently kneed Fudge in the groin. At the same time, Lucius and Severus had drawn their wands and as Fudge reeled back from Hermione's knee to the groin, he was hit in the chest by two strong jets of magic. The combination of being hit with two spells, and being physically assaulted had Fudge stumbling backwards towards the railing of the stand.

As it happened it was as though time slowed down, and Hermione knew exactly what was going to happen as Fudge was hit by the spells Lucius and Severus had sent his way. Hermione waited for the guilt to come, but she felt nothing but elation as Fudge's back hit the railing and he went tumbling over the edge of the stand. With horrified cries springing up all around her, Hermione calmly made her way to the front of the stand and looked down at where Fudge's crumpled body had landed.

"You really shouldn't have touched me," she muttered, her voice still enchanted to carry across the stadium.

"No, he really shouldn't have," Voldemort agreed with a laugh. "And let that be a lesson to you all. Touch my daughter and you will regret it."

However, Fudge's untimely demise didn't signal the end of the show. Seeing the Minister of Magic fall to his death fired people up and somewhere to her right, Hermione became aware of people beginning to fight back. Once it was realised that a fight was taking place, other people around the stadium began to rebel and Hermione had to duck to avoid being hit in the face with a curse.

"Now this is what I call fun," she called to Lucius and Severus with a wide grin on her face as she pulled out her wand.

Hoping that Harry and Draco were also enjoying themselves, Hermione launched herself into the action as the entire stadium erupted in violence. Finally, it was time for action, and she was going to enjoy every minute of it. And enjoy it she did. Half the time she didn't have a clue as to who she was fighting, but the skills she'd learnt over the last three years came to the fore and she dealt with everyone who dared to raise their wands to her.

The resulting battle lasted for nearly an hour, and while the dead were at a minimum, the message had been loud and clear. The Dark Lord meant business and he had both his daughter and Harry Potter by his side. Not to mention Draco, who had also excelled in the battle and was euphoric as Voldemort gathered his family around him as the battle began to peter out.

"There's only one more thing to do now," he announced.

"What?" Hermione asked, wondering what else they could do. Fudge was dead, their message had been delivered and it had been made clear that the dark were not to be messed with.

With a smirk, Voldemort raised his wand towards the sky. "Mosmorde!" he called, as out of his wand a green smoke erupted and formed into the Dark Mark, which hovered over the stadium, marking it as the latest venue of a deadly Death Eater attack.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N – There will only be the one chapter this week as my sister is getting married on Friday, and I'm going to be too busy for the rest of the week to be able to post another chapter. But I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I'll see you all next week for the usual double dose of Darkness.**

* * *

"Well, I think that well and truly stops our plan," Ron snorted as he threw the latest edition of The Daily Prophet onto the kitchen table at Grimmauld Place, where he was sitting with Sirius and Remus.

Splashed over the front page was yet more on what had happened at the quidditch match a few days earlier. Pictures included The Dark Mark in the sky above the stadium, as well as snaps of Hermione confronting Fudge and Harry at Voldemort's side. And of course the entire evening was re-hashed, reminding everyone that Harry was now loyal to the dark wizard who was supposed to be his greatest enemy.

"This just makes it all the more important to get Harry back," Sirius argued.

"What good would it do us now?" Ron queried. "The entire world has seen him standing by You-Know-Who's side. He was part of what happened at that match. He just stood back and accepted it as Hermione played a role in Fudge's death. Face it Sirius, the person we knew is gone. Harry's lost to us."

"I refuse to believe it," Sirius insisted with a stubborn shake of his head. "I will not rest until we've at least tried to save Harry. I thought you were his best friend, Ron. I thought you wanted to save him as much as the rest of us."

"The Harry who was my best friend died long ago," Ron snapped. "My best friend would not have accepted what happened the other evening, and he certainly wouldn't have been a part of it. I think we have to face facts, Sirius. The Harry we know and love is gone."

"I think Ron is right," Remus said gently.

"You think we should give up on Harry?" Sirius exploded, turning on his best friend. "I won't do it Remus, I won't abandon him."

"I'm not saying that, Sirius," Remus said, keeping his voice calm as he knew shouting at Sirius didn't work. "I do believe we still need to get him away from the dark. Without him, we don't stand a chance of winning this war."

"But," Sirius pressed, knowing that there was more Remus wanted to say.

"But I think we have to accept that even when we get him back he won't be the same person," Remus said. "Truth be told, I think we lost him a long time ago. We have to accept the truth, Sirius. Harry turned his back on us a long time ago. He spent two years plotting to get away from us, and then he's spent another year firmly ensconced with the dark. And Ron's right about what happened the other night. The fact Harry could take part in such a display proves that he's not the boy we all hoped he still was."

"They've corrupted him, Remus," Sirius remarked sadly, all the fight draining from him as his friend had spoken truths he hadn't wanted to admit to himself. "We've let James and Lily down. They would be appalled to see Harry like this."

"Which is why we need to get to him before he truly blackens his soul," Remus said. "Even though I do believe we've lost him, we can at least save him before he takes a leaf out of Hermione's book and becomes a killer."

"I still don't see how snatching him helps us now," Ron said moodily. "Everyone knows where his loyalties lie."

"Everyone knows what they've seen, but as we all know with our world, things aren't always what they seem," Remus said. "I've been speaking with Dumbledore and he's already decided that once we have Harry back we are going to claim he was under the Imperius Curse at the quidditch match."

"People might not believe that," Ron argued. "The dark could claim we're the ones using the Imperius Curse on Harry."

"But they can't prove it," Remus pointed out.

"If that's the case, neither can we," Ron protested.

"Then we have to make our story more convincing," Remus said with a slight shrug. "We've already got the basis in place with our story of how Harry was lured away. Once Harry is back with us, we just claim that Harry quickly realised he'd been duped by Hermione, but before he could get away he was placed under the Imperius curse and has been in You-Know-Who's control ever since."

"And what about Harry himself?" Ron asked. "We all know he won't go along with any of this. We all know where his loyalties truly lie, and they aren't with us."

"That's where Sirius's polyjuice potion idea comes into play," Remus replied. "Unless Harry really does come around when we get hold of him, I think we can all admit that he won't be of any real use to us. As hard as it is to admit, we're going to have to virtually hold him prisoner. But as long as he's with us, we can use polyjuice potion into fooling the public he's back on our side."

"I still say it sounds risky," Ron snorted. "We'd be better of leaving Harry to his fate. His chose the dark side, so I think he should bloody well stay with them and be brought down with them."

"But we can't bring them down without him," Sirius argued. "That is the whole point, Ron. We are a meagre force at the moment. We're down to the bare bones of the Order. We need more help, and the only way we're going to get that help is to convince the rest of the country that we have Harry back with us and he's ready to fulfil the prophecy and bring down You-Know-Who."

"And what of You-Know-Who?" Ron demanded. "Do you think he'll just sit back and let us take Harry and parade him around as our saviour. He'll want to rescue him."

"The only reason Harry is still alive is because he knows what it looks like to have him by his side," Sirius argued. "Believe me, the second he's got what he wants, Harry will be eliminated. You never know, maybe once we've got Harry and he sees that no rescue is coming his way he might start to realise that he's been used."

"Even if You-Know-Who doesn't want to rescue Harry, what about Hermione?" Ron asked. "Their bond is clearly still going strong, and I can't see Hermione just walking away from Harry."

"We can deal with Hermione if we have to, but my bet is that by now she's so twisted by her father that she also regards Harry as a way to win the war," Sirius said. "At the end of the day, I think she'll stick with her father and leave Harry to whatever fate awaits him."

"I hope you're right, but my gut tells me that trying to snatch Harry is going to be the worst thing we've ever done," Ron prophesied as he got to his feet and with a rueful shake of his head, left the kitchen and wandered outside for some fresh air.

For a while, Ron just sat on an overturned bucket contemplating the fact he'd just written off his best friend. It pained him to admit it, but the truth was, he'd lost Harry long ago, he just hadn't wanted to acknowledge it before. But now Ron couldn't deny the truth any longer. Harry was no longer his best friend, he was their enemy and he couldn't see the plan to bring him back to the Order as anything other than dangerous. It would be like having a viper in the bosom of the Order, and Ron for one was not going to let his guard down around Harry. His once best friend was now the enemy, and Ron would never forget it.

Now all he had to do was make sure the rest of the Order remembered that. Not that it was going to be easy as it was clear that despite everything Sirius was still holding out hope that Harry would come back to them. At least Remus seemed to recognise that Harry was already too far gone, but Ron didn't have a lot of faith that the werewolf could get his best friend to see sense. If they weren't careful Sirius could end up being just as dangerous as he was the one person most likely to fall for any tricks Harry might pull once he was back with the Order.

"Sodding Hermione, this is all her fault," Ron muttered, still blaming his former friend for something she had no control over when there were people far closer to home to blame for the current situation.

Hearing commotion inside, Ron shook off his thoughts and headed back into the kitchen. Not only had his mother and Ginny arrived back from Diagon Alley, where they'd been doing some shopping, but several more members of the Order had returned, including Dumbledore, Moody, Kingsley and Tonks.

"The tracking spell will be ready to go tomorrow," Moody announced as everyone settled around the kitchen table and Molly put the kettle on for some tea.

"Good," Dumbledore replied with a nod. "We need to draw up a rota. I want two people watching the spell at all times, and the second they get the chance to grab Harry, they're to take it. He's to be brought back here, and returned to his old room. I can spend the rest of the day reinforcing the wards around the house, and even his bedroom. Although we are going to have to take his wand from him. Just because he can't get out doesn't mean he can't cause trouble inside, so everyone is to be on their guard. I know we don't like to think it, but initially Harry will be our enemy."

"You can't think of Harry as our enemy," Molly gasped.

"I'm afraid we have to Molly," Dumbledore said gently. "He's been with the dark for a year now. They'll have gotten into his head. It's going to take time to make him realise that his place is with us."

"If he ever does," Ron snorted, not believing for one moment that Harry would ever truly be on their side again.

"We'll cross that bridge when, or if, we come to it," Dumbledore replied with a sad grimace. Like Sirius he refused to give up on Harry and he still believed that deep down he was still the boy they'd always known and could be saved from the clutches of Voldemort and his daughter. "So rotas. Can you handle that, Tonks?"

"I can," Tonks confirmed with a nod. "Everything will be sorted by the time the tracking spell is ready to activate."

"And how are things at the Ministry?" Molly asked Dumbledore in concern.

The Ministry was where Dumbledore had been all morning, and ever since Fudge's demise it had been in a very uncertain state.

"Still shambolic," Dumbledore admitted with a sigh. "Fudge's deputy is still acting Minister, but they won't be able to hold on much longer. There's warring fractions wanting to take over, and supporters of the dark seem to have an edge."

"Can't you become Minister?" Molly asked. "You were offered the nomination before Fudge took the job."

"I was, but things are very different now," Dumbledore admitted. "Firstly, to take the job I would have to walk away from Hogwarts. And I fear the second I leave the school, Voldemort will strike. I've already lost the support of the staff, so I'm facing a struggle there as it is. And secondly, the way things stand at the moment, I really don't think I'd win the support of the public. There was already a wave of people not buying our stories about Harry and Hermione, and recent events have skewed their opinion even further towards the dark."

"How can people by supporting the dark after what happened?" Ginny gasped in outrage. "The killed the Minister of Magic."

"A lot of people see it as self defence," Dumbledore replied with a snort that revealed he saw it as anything but self-defence. "But even those who condemn what happened to Fudge and the subsequent violence, are struggling to deny that Hermione and Harry are telling the truth. As long as Harry is with the dark, their version of events is the one people are going to believe. We need to get him back to bring the public back onside."

"But that won't be done before a new Minister takes charge," Kingsley remarked. "As you said, a change is imminent."

"So who is likely to take over?" Sirius asked.

"Lucius Malfoy is back around the Ministry," Dumbledore replied. "He would certainly be a candidate. But so would several of Voldemort's high ranking Death Eaters. I can fight any nomination they might put forward, but it will only be delaying the inevitable. Like it or not, we're soon going to have a Death Eater running the country. But it won't be forever. Once Harry is back with us, the tide will turn again and we can bring down the dark once and for all. That is what we have to hold onto. As dark as things are going to get, there will be light at the end of the tunnel. We just have to stay strong, and stay together."

Ron wanted to believe that Dumbledore was right and that they would eventually defeat the dark, but as long as they were still planning on bringing Harry back into the Order, he had his doubts. Maybe what he would have to do was take a stand for them all and take care of Harry himself. If no-one else was going to do it, Ron would have to stand up and take out the boy who had once been his best friend. Harry Potter was no longer the lights saviour. He was their enemy and he needed to be disposed of, just like Voldemort and Hermione.


	8. Chapter 8

Events at the quidditch match had left Harry feeling euphoric, and even though he'd long ago made his choice regarding which side he was on, he was now one hundred percent sure that he'd made the right call. It truth the incident had ignited a darkness in him that he didn't know existed, and even though it was the Order's betrayal that had led him to this point, it felt good to just let go and embrace a side of himself he'd never wanted to admit he'd had before now. But now he'd had his first taste of action, he was eager for more.

Although Harry wasn't the only one eager for more action. Hermione and Draco were just as keen to follow up events at the quidditch match. And as for Draco's friends, who were also becoming Hermione and Harry's friends, they were just eager for any action as they hadn't been allowed to take part in the quidditch attack.

Sadly, action had been sorely lacking in the weeks following the quidditch match as the Wizarding World had been in turmoil with the loss of the Minister, and different fractions had fought for control of the Ministry. Even though he had faced plenty of opposition, Hermione had always been confident her father would ultimately prevail, and sure enough when the new Minister was sworn into office, he was a wizard who was loyal to The Dark Lord.

Although the group of teenagers were far from idle, and while the adults had often been busy, they'd focused on being ready for when they were required to fight. Since none of Draco's friends had gone through the same rigorous training programme Hermione, Draco and Harry had gone through, the trio helped their friends get battle ready. The three took on the role of teachers, and tried their best to pass on the advice and lessons they'd been taught when they'd been halfway around the world, preparing for this very moment.

After a few weeks of focusing on their training, Voldemort suggested that they have a break and do something relaxing.

"Now we have control of the Ministry, it's time to focus on Dumbledore and the Order," he explained over breakfast one morning. "And I don't want you all exhausted from doing too much training. Take a few days to relax, and then you'll be ready when I decide on our next move."

"Do you have any idea about what that will be?" Hermione asked.

"I have a few thoughts," Voldemort replied vaguely. "But I promise you will be the first to know once I've made a firm decision," he added as Hermione opened her mouth to ask for more details.

"So what do you fancy doing then?" Draco asked. "It's a nice day, we can invite the others over and have a mini quidditch tournament."

"Why is everything always about flying with you two?" Hermione tutted as Harry readily agreed to Draco's suggestion. "I don't want to spend the day in the air."

"So what do you want to do?" Harry asked.

"I want to go out and see what the feeling is towards us," she replied. "I was thinking a trip to Diagon Alley."

"That actually sounds good," Draco agreed. "I haven't seen the place since New Year."

"Is it even safe for us to venture out?" Harry asked cautiously. "I know the Order have been quiet since what happened at the quidditch, but it won't always be that way. They're going to fight back."

"I should bloody well hope so, or else this is going to get very boring, very quickly," Lucius drawled. "I would like to see a bit more action before we take full control."

"Don't be so blood-thirsty in front of the children," Narcissa scolded her husband. "Personally, I would like it if none of you had to face another battle. That way I know you will all stay safe."

"We will all be safe, Narcissa," Voldemort predicted. "But as Lucius said, a bit of action would be appreciated. And it will come. But not today," he said, turning to Harry. "The Order are not going to try anything in broad daylight. Even they aren't that foolhardy. But if something does happen, I want you all to return here as quickly as possible. Fight if you must, but only until you can get away. I will not be happy if anything happens to any of you."

"Are you satisfied now, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"I guess so," Harry replied with a sigh, even though he was far from satisfied.

To be the honest the Order's silence was bothering him greatly. Following his appearance, and announcement, at the quidditch, he'd been preparing for the Order's reaction. At the very least he'd expected press releases claiming he was under Voldemort's control. But there was nothing but silence from his former allies. Not only had they made no move to reach him, but they'd made no move to counter what people had seen or heard. It was as though they'd given up on him. And Harry wasn't naive enough to believe that was the case. He would like to think that the Order had enough brains to see they had lost him for good, but he knew these people and he knew how stubborn they could be. So he didn't for one minute think they'd genuinely given up on trying to win him back.

Harry was still feeling wary as Draco contacted the other Slytherins and they headed off to Diagon Alley to meet up with them. It was only once they were all together that he realised that Voldemort had a point about the Order not been foolish enough to try something. Not only was it broad daylight and they were in public, but they were together in a large group. And even though they were all only teenagers, he, Hermione and Draco had been taught the dark arts by some of the best practitioners in the world, and even the others were marked Death Eaters and knew how to fight. The Order would be crazy to try anything.

"Finally, you're relaxing," Daphne joked with a smile as she fell into step beside Harry. Of all the Slytherins, Harry had bonded with Daphne the most and they'd already developed a very comfortable friendship. "When we first arrived you seemed to be on high alert."

"I was just anxious about being out in the open," Harry admitted. "It's the first time I've been out in public since the quidditch."

"And you think people will turn on you?" Daphne asked.

Although to be honest she didn't think anyone would dare, and even though they'd received some dirty looks, no-one had been anything other than polite to the group. In fact a few people had virtually bowed down to Hermione. Clearly they were respectful of The Dark Lord's daughter, and Daphne suspected they wouldn't anger her by saying or doing anything untoward to her best friend.

"I think most people are too smart to even think about doing that," Harry replied with a chuckle. He hadn't missed the looks they were getting, and even though it was clear some people weren't happy with their presence in the street, it was equally clear that no-one was going to do or say anything that might bring down the wrath of Voldemort on them.

"So why were you so worried?" Daphne questioned.

"The Order," Harry replied. "I don't like that they've been so quiet."

"What choice have they had?" Daphne queried with a shrug. "They tried peddling their lies about you before you returned, and not everyone believed them then. Now you've been seen in the flesh, and have made your position clear, even fewer people will believe them. It won't do them any good to continue to spread their lies."

"To be honest, I expected them to claim I was under the Imperius curse," Harry admitted.

"But how would they know that?" Daphne countered. "To claim that, they would have to get close to you, or to have you back with them. Just claiming you were under the Imperius curse based on what they'd seen of you, isn't enough. To be believed, they'd need proof, and you're the only way they can get that proof, Harry. As long as you're with us, they can claim what they like, but they can't prove anything."

"I never thought of it like that before," Harry said with a smile, suddenly feeling a lot better about the situation. "Thank you Daphne, you've just made my day."

"And I didn't even do anything," Daphne laughed. "Now imagine if I'd kissed you. You would be ecstatic."

"Kiss me?" Harry spluttered, coming to an abrupt halt and gazing at the pretty witch standing in front of him.

"Yes, kiss you," Daphne replied with a smirk. "Maybe one day if you're lucky," she added with a wink, before hurrying on to where their friends were still walking and linking arms with Pansy.

Still too stunned to move, Harry could only stand with his mouth gaping open as Daphne whispered something to Pansy and both girls turned to look at him. When they saw him still standing where Daphne left him, they giggled brightly and waved for him to re-join them.

"Kiss me," he muttered, slowly following his friends. "She wants to kiss me."

As a smirk appeared on his face at the thought of Daphne wanting to kiss him, Harry failed to notice a couple of shadows stalking him from the alleyways which led to the back of the shops. He was too caught up in Daphne's revelation, and his own realisation that he also wanted to kiss Daphne. But as his mind slowly came out of the clouds, he realised he was falling behind the others and he picked up his pace.

Unluckily for Harry, he was just a bit too slow in realising that he was dawdling. Just as he picked up the pace to catch up with his friends, the two shadows emerged from an alleyway, and taking advantage of his lack of attention, they shot a spell at him that sent him tripping over his feet and tumbling to the ground. As he fell, Harry managed to cry out for Hermione, but he had no idea if his best friend heard him as he felt strong hands hauling him to his feet, while another pair of hands yanked his wand from his pocket before he had a chance to reach it.

"Sorry Harry," Sirius whispered in his ear, before Harry felt the tug of side-along apparition and the ground beneath his feet disappeared.

All of this had happened in a matter of moments, and as much as he was kicking himself for finding him in this situation, a part of Harry knew that he couldn't have done anything. He hadn't had time to fight back, and because he'd fallen slightly behind his friends, they also hadn't had time to help him. The Order had been smarter than they'd given them credit for, and they hadn't hesitated when they'd had the slightest opportunity to get their grubby paws on him.

However, in the few minutes it took for them to leave Diagon Alley, Harry mentally prepared himself. And the second his feet touched solid ground, he thrust his elbow back into Sirius's stomach and stomped his heel right on Sirius's foot. As hoped, Sirius was shocked by the move and he let go of Harry with a loud cry. Taking advantage of the situation, Harry whirled around and threw a fist at a reeling Sirius, catching him on the jaw. As Sirius went down, Harry whirled around to see where he was, and his heart sank when he recognised the front hallway of Grimmauld Place. Clearly the wards had been altered to allow Sirius to bring him straight inside the property, which was something that never used to be done. Even as the houses owner, Sirius had to come and go via the front door like the rest of the Order.

Not waiting around to deal with whoever had taken his wand, Harry sprinted to the door and cursed loudly when he found it wouldn't budge. Try as he might he couldn't get the door to open, and behind him he could hear Sirius getting to his feet.

"It won't open," Dumbledore's voice called from behind him.

With a snarl, Harry whirled around to find Dumbledore standing at the end of the hallway, his wand clutched in the headmaster's hand. Between them, Sirius was been helped to his feet by a concerned looking Remus.

"You fight dirty, Harry," Sirius remarked, sounding hurt by his godson's actions.

"I had a good teacher," Harry spat. "And I don't mean you. All you ever taught me is to be careful who I trust."

"And you don't trust us any more, do you, Harry?" Dumbledore stated quietly.

"Not since I learnt what you did to Hermione," Harry answered. "And the lengths you would go to in order to silence her," he added to Sirius, throwing him a contemptuous glare. "Let's not forget who started this. If Hermione's life hadn't been threatened, this wouldn't be happening."

"You're right," Sirius admitted, taking Harry by surprise as he'd never once admitted he'd been wrong to conspire with Molly. Even when everything had first happened, he'd been unrepentant and unable to accept that Hermione shouldn't be judged based on her family tree. "I was wrong, Harry. I thought Hermione presented a threat to you. I thought I was doing what was right for you."

"Hermione is what's right for me," Harry said. "She's my family."

"No Harry, her father took your family away from you," Sirius snarled. "You-Know-Who and his poisonous daughter are not your family."

"And there's the real Sirius," Harry chuckled humourlessly. "Still judging people, even when he himself knows what its like to be judged. I will save you all a lot of time and effort. I don't know what you want from me, but you won't get it. My loyalty is with Hermione. It is with The Dark Lord."

For added effect, Harry rolled up his sleeve, flashing his Dark Mark for the three older wizards to see. While Dumbledore seemed unmoved by the sight, both Sirius and Remus visibly blanched at the proof he was well and truly their enemy.

"We expected as much, Harry," Dumbledore said smoothly. "But we are prepared for that. You don't need to support us. What matters is that you are with us."

"Not for long," Harry predicted with a slight smirk. "Do you really think Hermione will just abandon me? Do you really think the Dark Lord will leave me at your mercy? They will save me, and when they do, I hope they kill the lot of you."

"They won't get to you, Harry," Dumbledore replied with equal confidence. "You're ours now, and the sooner you accept it the better."

"Never," Harry hissed. "You may be able to keep me here, but you will never gain my support. You've just made a big mistake Professor. You've now got an enemy within."

"A one who is completely powerless," Dumbledore said with a sharp bark of laughter. "You cannot get out, Harry. Nor can you send messages. Also, I have wards around the entire house which dampen your magic. Not that you have your wand," he added as he made a show of slipping Harry's wand into his robes.

Harry watched his wand disappear with a scowl, but he failed to mention that he was becoming more adapt at wand-less magic. Although until he tested what Dumbledore had said, he had no idea how useful his magic would be. But he wasn't about to give the Order any sort of indication of just what he was now capable of. Let them think they had the upper hand. Harry had every confidence that they didn't. The dark were not so easily broken, and he knew Hermione would move heaven and earth until they were reunited. As would he. He wasn't going to sit idly around while the Order held him prisoner, he was going to take advantage of the situation and create as much havoc as he could from within the Order.

They were going to rue the day they'd decided to kidnap him. You would have thought that after what they'd done to Hermione, they would have learnt their lesson. But it seemed not, and Harry was determined that this time they would learn. And this time he very much doubted they would live long enough to try the same trick for the third time.


	9. Chapter 9

"This is all my fault! I'm the reason Harry was taken."

Draco watched silently as his girlfriend paced the front room at the manor, ranting and raving to herself, and more importantly blaming herself for Harry's kidnapping. He didn't blame Hermione at all, and he doubted anyone else did, but she'd already snapped at him for trying to reassure her that she wasn't to blame, and he didn't fancy trying again. He figured it was best to let her vent, and then he could talk to her when she was feeling more reasonable.

Although Hermione wasn't the only one blaming themselves for what had happened to Harry. Daphne was also blaming herself as she felt it was her fault that Harry had fallen behind in Diagon Alley. Apparently she'd teased him about kissing him, and she'd taken him so by surprise that he had stopped walking. Personally, Draco didn't think Harry would have been that surprised as unless he was completely blind, he would have been able to see that Daphne had taken an instant liking to him. But even though Harry had been lingering behind the others, Draco was loathe to blame Daphne as she wasn't to know what was going to happen.

To be fair, no-one had predicted that the Order would be so brazen. Voldemort was certainly shocked by the move, and he was also shouldering his share of the blame for encouraging them to go out. Although again, Draco didn't think The Dark Lord was to blame. No-one could have known that the Order were stalking Harry and that they would strike the moment they got even the slightest opportunity. In fact it was a rather ingenious move, and it had rather caught the dark side by surprise. They'd underestimated the enemy, and unfortunately Harry had paid the price.

"That is enough, Hope," Voldemort barked as he entered the room with Lucius and Severus.

Once they realised Harry was missing, Draco had alerted the three fathers and reinforcements had arrived at Diagon Alley. Narcissa had then ensured that the teenagers all got back to the manor safely, and once it was confirmed that Harry was gone, she'd overseen their friends returning home. Now she was sitting quietly in the corner of the room, and the they had been waiting for the three fathers to return from their initial enquiries into Harry's kidnapping.

"Sit down," he ordered when Hermione stopped her pacing and ranting, but didn't move from in front of the fireplace.

"Do you have news?" she asked as she reluctantly sat down next to Draco.

"Not really," Voldemort answered with a sigh. "There is no trace of Harry. I can tell from his mark that he is alive and in good health, but I can't locate him. He's been held somewhere that's been reinforced against my magic."

"Our guess is Order Headquarters," Severus supplied.

Even though he and Hermione had both been in and out of the Order's Headquarters in the past, the protective spells around the place prevented them from revealing it's location and leading an ambush on the property. Just like the Order wouldn't be able to use Harry to gain access to Malfoy Manor, or anywhere else they might have been located.

"So we're screwed," Hermione snorted. "Or rather Harry is. We can't rescue him from Order Headquarters."

"No, we can't," Voldemort agreed. "But Harry will know that. He will also know that we won't give up on him. I won't let the Order win, Hope. They took your mother from us, but they will not take Harry."

"So how are we going to get him back?" Draco asked. "Because the Order snatched him for a reason, and I don't just believe it's because they want him back. I think they want to show the world that he's back on their side. They want him to fight alongside them."

"He'll never do it," Hermione spat. "Harry is loyal to us, Draco. He would never raise arms against us."

"Not willingly," Draco conceded. "But he could be forced to do so."

"I'm not so sure about that," Voldemort said thoughtfully. "The Dark Mark limits the control other people have on my supporters. When I invented the mark, I built a safeguard into the magic so I would be able to tell if anyone was being controlled. I couldn't have someone use the Imperius curse on my Death Eaters and force them to spy on me."

"So you're saying that Harry can't be put under the Imperius curse?" Hermione checked.

"Not without me being aware of it," Voldemort answered.

"I'm not sure I'd worry about that anyway," Lucius remarked. "During our training he was the most adept at throwing off the Imperius curse. It would take a mighty strong spell to keep him in their grasp. He doesn't like being controlled, and he will fight tooth and nail against any attempt to control him."

"Okay, so it's unlikely the Order can control Harry," Hermione muttered, sorting things in her head. "But they can still use the fact he's back with them. They can claim we were the ones controlling him."

"They can, and most likely will," Voldemort confirmed with a nod. "But we know the truth, and I suspect a lot of other people will know the truth. The Order don't have the support they used to. And yes, having Harry back will help them win some fresh support, but it is likely still too little too late. They can't force Harry to fight for them, and if he doesn't fight for them, what little support they can muster will soon vanish."

"I think we need to strike while the iron is hot," Lucius suggested. "Let's not give them time to settle. Let's take the fight to them and prove early on that they don't have Harry's backing."

"What do you suggest?" Voldemort asked. He always valued Lucius's opinion, and there were very few people who could out-scheme Lucius Malfoy.

"We might not be able to get to Order Headquarters, but we can target people connected with the Order," Lucius replied with a wicked smirk. "How about we go and visit a den of Weasels?"

"Now that sounds like a plan," Voldemort replied with a wicked grin of his own.

"We're coming," Hermione instantly insisted. "And don't argue, because I won't take no for an answer. If you try and stop me, I will go to The Burrow myself."

"No-one is going to try and stop you, Hope," Voldemort assured his daughter. "I expect both you and Draco to be with us."

"When do we strike?" Draco asked, just as eager as Hermione to do whatever it took to get Harry back with them.

"I'm thinking a small, elite group," Voldemort said. "It should only take a couple of hours to put together. We make the first strike tonight. And we keep striking until its clear that Harry isn't supporting them."

"And what about actually getting Harry back?" Hermione checked. "We have to do more than deplete the Order's support."

"And we will, but we will have to be patient," Voldemort replied. "You're going to have to trust me, Hope. And you're going to have to trust that Harry knows that we'll be coming for him. If he's half the person I think he is, the Order will soon regret taking him. I can't see him taking this lying down, can you?"

"No, I can't," Hermione agreed, her lips quirking upwards as she contemplated how shocked the Order were going to be when they discovered just how much Harry had changed.

"So have faith in him, Hope," Voldemort urged. "We will get him back, it just might take some time."

"Can you get a message to him using the mark?" Hermione asked, the thought suddenly occurring to her. "If you can use the mark to summon us, surely you can use it to send messages."

"You're right, I can," Voldemort said with a slight smile. It would have eventually occurred to him to use the mark to get in touch with Harry, but his daughter had just gotten there quicker than he had. "Don't worry, Hope. I will make sure that Harry knows he has not been abandoned. I will make sure he knows that we're coming for him."

"Thank you." Rising to her feet, Hermione gave Voldemort a peck on the cheek. She then gave Lucius and Severus a quick peck and hugged Narcissa before excusing herself to go and get ready for the evening's action.

"Are you also going to get ready?" Lucius asked his son.

"In a moment," Draco replied. "But I do have one question now Hermione isn't here. What happens if the Order genuinely turn Harry back to their side? He was with them for a long time, and even though he turned his back on them the moment he learnt the truth about Hermione, I can't see them just giving up on him. Even if they can't control him, they're going to try their best to brainwash him into supporting them again."

"I think we have to rely on Harry being strong enough to resist them," Lucius answered. "And don't forget it would take time to turn him back to the light. Not only has he been with us for over a year, but his heart was with Hermione for a few years before that. The Order can't change his mind that fast."

"But what if this drags on longer than we would like?" Draco asked quietly. "What if they have Harry longer than we want to think about. Right now, he's our ally and nothing the Order can do will change that. But that might not be the case, in say, a years time. By then he could be the enemy again."

"If that happens then we will cross that bridge when we comes to it," Voldemort replied sombrely. "I hope not to have to do it, but if I'm left with no other choice, I will take Harry out."

"Hermione would never forgive you," Narcissa gently reminded The Dark Lord.

"I know," Voldemort conceded. "And that is one of the reasons why I don't want it to happen. Harry belongs with us, and we have to make sure he's back with us before the Order can twist his mind and make him their puppet. From now on, getting Harry back is our number one priority."

* * *

Harry was unsurprised to find himself housed in his old room, but he was surprised to find nothing had changed. Aside from his clothes having been washed and fresh sheets put on his bed, everything was as he'd left it over a year ago.

"Creepy," he muttered, stalking around the small room and gathering his thoughts.

Since he was alone for the time being, he subtly checked his wand-less magic to see how much power he had. Luckily the hard work over the previous year had paid off and he at least had some magic at his disposal. However, he was aware that it could possibly be his trump card and it wouldn't be wise to reveal that he wasn't quite as powerless as the Order thought. When the opportunity presented itself, Harry could use his wand-less magic to gain the upper hand, and possibly even escape, but in order for that to work he had to be careful and choose his moment wisely. So until then, he would save his magic and not give any indication that he had power stashed up his sleeve.

After checking out his abilities, Harry decided to check out the rest of the house and to see who, if anybody, was around. However, before he had a chance to leave his room his left arm began to sting and he felt a presence in his head. Instantly he knew it was The Dark Lord, and if they hadn't been on the same side, the experience might have worried him. But as it was, it was comforting to have some sort of contact with his family. Harry wasn't quite sure how the connection worked, but his head was suddenly bursting with positive thoughts and reminders of where he belonged. The Dark Lord had delivered him a message – a message telling him not to give up hope and that his family was waiting for him and would be coming for him.

"I'll be here," he whispered even though he doubted Voldemort could hear him.

What was important was that he'd gotten the message and he'd understood it. Physically he might be alone, trapped with the Order, but mentally and emotionally he was far from alone. He had his family and they were coming for him.

With a smirk settled on his lips, Harry breezed out of the bedroom and bounded down the stairs. When he burst into the kitchen, he was greeted by a look of total shock on Sirius's face. Remus didn't look much better, and the pair were looking at him as though he was crazy. However, Harry's attention quickly drifted away from the pair when he realised Ron, Ginny and Molly were all present. Molly and Ginny had been preparing a meal, while Ron was sitting at the kitchen table.

"Well, isn't this nice, a reunion," Harry chuckled. "Don't all rush to say hello at once."

"And why would we want to say hello to you," Ron spat, glaring at Harry as he pushed himself to his feet. "You abandoned us. You turned to the enemy."

"I merely re-evaluated who the enemy was," Harry retorted, smirking at the realisation that Ron didn't want him there. Clearly his old friend thought he was beyond saving, and for once, Ron would be right.

"I don't need to re-evaluate, I already know who my enemies are," Ron declared. "And for the record, Harry, you're one of them. The others might think you can be saved, but I know better. We've already lost you. The Harry we knew and cared about is gone."

"And for once Ron, you're the smartest person in the room," Harry said, his smirk widening at the thought of Ron being the one person he had to be extra careful of. "I made my choice, I chose where my loyalties lie. And it is not with anyone in this room. So let's make this clear so there's no understanding. I stand with The Dark Lord. I stand with Hermione. I stand against the Order."

Knowing that his statement had made an impact on everyone in the room, he pulled out a chair and settled himself at the kitchen table. When he casually asked what was for dinner as he was starving, Ron snarled and flounced out of the kitchen, announcing he was going home.

"Was it something I said?" Harry asked with mock innocence as the sound of the front door slamming reverberated throughout the whole house.

"I think it's time we also left, Sirius," Molly said, steering Ginny the long way around the table so they didn't have to walk past Harry. "The pie's already in the oven, so just pop the potatoes on when you're ready."

"Thank you Molly," Sirius said with a weak smile as he got to his feet. "And I'm sorry."

"We all knew it was going to be hard," Molly sighed, glancing at Harry, who just grinned at her.

"Just not this hard," Sirius muttered.

Everyone had been expecting a sulking Harry, even an angry one, but it was clear they were going to get a troublesome and nasty one. At least until they could find a way to bring him back around, and despite Harry's harsh words and Ron's fears, Sirius was confident that it could happen. He wasn't quite ready to give up on his godson.

Keen to spread more disharmony, Harry stayed in the kitchen long enough to enjoy a nice meal. It would have been easy to sulk in his room and refuse to eat, but he wasn't going to give the Order that pleasure. They'd kidnapped him, so they could damn well deal with seeing him as much as possible. And he knew full well that his brightness and confidence would rattle everyone. He'd already managed to chase the Weasleys away, and to be honest he hadn't even been trying. He'd yet to try to stir up trouble, all he'd really wanted to achieve was some discomfort, and it was safe to say he'd managed that rather well.

As he headed off to bed, Harry hoped that things carried on proving as easy, but he doubted it. Thick skins would soon be adapted and he would quickly have to do a lot more to get under people's skins. But Harry was just getting started, and he had no intention of going easy on the Order. The fun was only just beginning.

As he settled down to sleep, Harry was annoyed that he was back in his old bed, and not settled in his large bed at the manor, but he was determined not to let the negativity get to him. This wasn't where he'd imagined ending the day, but it was where he'd ended up and he had to make the most of a bad situation. And there was plenty to look forward to once he was back with his family. Obviously there was their revenge on the Order to look forward to, but mainly Harry was looking forward to being reunited with his family and friends. Especially Daphne, who might very well take pity on him and kiss a poor, innocent kidnap victim like himself.

With thoughts of Daphne, and all the fun they could get up to together, running through his head, Harry was soon fast asleep. Considering he was back in the heart of enemy territory he slept pretty deeply, and as such he was totally unaware when Sirius darted into his room and roughly yanked out a few of his hairs. He merely rolled over and buried his head deeper into the covers, little knowing that before long 'Harry Potter' would be at the scene of a Death Eater attack, fighting on the side of the Order.


	10. Chapter 10

Given the recent tensions within the Weasley family only Molly, Arthur and their two youngest children were at The Burrow when it was attacked. All four were fast asleep when the house suddenly began to shake from the force of someone trying to break through their wards. The shaking awoke all four members of the family, and Arthur didn't even need to check his wand to see that someone was trying to break onto their property. And judging from the ferociousness of their attack, they were going to succeed sooner rather than later.

"Get the children and get out," Arthur ordered his wife as they each pulled on their shoes and threw some robes over their nightwear.

"Is it Death Eaters?" Molly asked as Arthur took a moment to peer out of their bedroom window.

"I can see dark figures on the boundary line," Arthur replied as he turned back to his wife. "But let's not worry about that now. We need to get Ron and Ginny to safety."

Hurrying out of their bedroom, the couple were confronted by the sounds of movement above them and second later, Ron and Ginny appeared on the stairwell. Like Molly and Arthur they had both put on shoes and had their wands out ready to protect themselves. However, neither of them had bothered to throw anything on over their pyjamas.

"Downstairs to the family apparition point," Arthur ordered. "I want you all to go to Order Headquarters."

"Where he is?" Ron frowned. "He'll be the reason this is happening."

"We don't have time to argue about Harry," Arthur said firmly. "Order Headquarters is the safest place we can be right now."

Still muttering under his breath, Ron followed his mother and sister down the stairs with Arthur bringing up the rear. The only room apparition was permitted was in Molly's small laundry area just off the kitchen. Normally floo was used to enter or leave The Burrow, but on the rare occasion any of the family wanted to apparate, the laundry room was where they landed. And right now apparition was a quicker way for everyone to get to safety, rather than having to connect the floo and then travel through it one at a time.

"You two go first," Molly ordered the two teenagers. Even though all four of them could have apparated at once, she wasn't going anywhere until she knew her children were out of danger.

Raising their wands, Ron and Ginny took a deep breath before they prepared to apparate away from their childhood home. However, when they tried to move nothing happened and they remained standing in the exact same spot they'd been moment earlier.

"Go," Molly hissed as the house shook again and the sound of a tile falling from the roof echoed around the room.

"We can't," Ron said as he and Ginny tried again to leave with no success. "Something is stopping us going."

"Sod it, they must have placed an anti-apparition charm around the house," Arthur swore as he also tried to apparate and found it futile.

"What about the floo?" Molly asked.

"We can try, but I'm guessing they've blocked that too," Arthur replied as they hurried into the front room where the floo was located.

Sure enough Arthur was right and a stable floo connection couldn't be established. The Weasleys were stuck, and the only way out of The Burrow was to physically leave. The only problem was, between them and safety was a group of Death Eaters.

"We are going to go outside and fight for our freedom," Arthur announced. "I will send a message to the Order, and they will send reinforcements. I want you to watch for where they arrive, and that will tell us how far the anti-apparition charm extends. The second you know where it's safe to apparate from, I want you you make your way there and leave. Do not stay and fight. We are only fighting to get to safety. The important thing is to get as far away from the house as you can. You need to get to Order Headquarters. Is that understood?"

"Yes," Ron answered with a nod when his father's gaze lingered on him.

As yet another vibration shook the house, the four Weasleys steeled themselves to head outside and face the enemy head on. First, Arthur sent a message off to the Order, but once that was gone and they knew help was on the way, he led the way out of the back door and into the garden. Ron could see several figures spread out around the boundary just over the back wall, but his focus was on the figure standing directly opposite the back door. Unlike some of the others, she wasn't wearing a mask, making her identity obvious for all to see in the bright moonlight.

"Ronald, long time no see," Hermione called, flashing Ron a wide grin.

"Not long enough," Ron called back as he strode towards the back wall and vaulted over it in a single bound.

"Ooh, someone means business," Hermione taunted, vaguely aware that Ginny had followed Ron's lead and had also hopped over the wall, although she was a bit further along and was lining up against Draco. "Have you come to play, Ron?"

"I'm not playing," Ron snarled, whipping his wand around and sending a stunning hex Hermione's way.

Laughing brightly, Hermione dodged the hex and sent one of her own back at Ron. Surprisingly, Ron fended off her spell easily enough and Hermione realised that her old friend wasn't going to be that easy to take down. He had spirit, and he clearly wasn't going to be beaten without a fight. Not that Hermione was too concerned as she knew whatever training he'd received would pale in comparison to what she'd had. In the end she was confident her experience and practice would tell, and she would emerge the victor. But in the mean time, she would have fun seeing just what Ron was capable of.

As it turned out, Ron was capable of far more than Hermione had ever given him credit for and she found herself facing a more than worthy opponent. They traded hexes and curses at a rapid pace, and even though they both managed to dodge and deflect most of them, they both still found themselves caught now and again. Ron managed to slash Hermione's shoulder, which limited her movement somewhat, while she managed to cut the side of his face with a nasty curse which would likely leave him with a scar.

Even with her movement limited, Hermione was still a match for Ron and the longer they were fighting, the more her superior training began to show. The one time Ron did manage to wrong foot her and cause her to fall down, he made the mistake of trying to use the Cruciatus curse on her. But it was clearly his first time using an unforgivable curse, and as such, he didn't have the power to wield it properly and Hermione was able to push through the minimal pain he was causing and get back to her feet. The very fact she'd done so while Ron was still wielding the unforgivable curse, threw Ron and it allowed Hermione to blast him off his feet.

"You have to mean it to use an unforgivable," she taunted him. "You have to really want the other person to suffer to make it work."

"I want you to suffer, I hate you," Ron sneered back as he scrabbled for his wand which had slipped from his grasp when he stumbled to the ground.

"Clearly not enough," Hermione laughed. "But soon, Ron, soon. Soon you will hate me enough to want to kill me, let alone torture me. You'll hate me when I take Harry back from you and the Order. Because he's not yours, Ron. He doesn't belong with you. He belongs with me. He belongs with us."

"I beg to differ," a voice called from behind Hermione, and Ron couldn't help but laugh at the stunned look that appeared on his old friend's face before she whirled around, totally forgetting about him.

"Harry," Hermione whispered, totally taken aback to come face to face with the best friend she'd only lost earlier that day.

"The hill," Harry said to Ron, while still keeping his eyes on Hermione. "Take Ginny and get to safety."

Hermione didn't say anything as Ron ran over to where Ginny was still battling Draco. Ron knocked Draco over from behind and grabbed Ginny, but when Draco got back up to give chase, he stopped in his tracks when he spotted who was standing with Hermione. All of this Hermione noted on the periphery of her vision, but her focus remained on Harry.

With her father nowhere in sight, she had no idea if Harry was being controlled in some way, so all she could do was watch for signs to point her in the right direction. However, Harry was giving nothing away and as Hermione watched him, he showed no signs of an inner struggle. If he was being controlled, he either wasn't fighting it, or whoever was doing the controlling was too good at it for Harry to fight.

"We can leave here together, Harry," Hermione offered, knowing that she needed to know it was safe to leave with Harry before whisking them away from The Burrow.

"I have no intention of going anywhere with you," Harry spat. "You were wrong with what you said to Ron. I don't belong with you, I never belonged with you."

"Yet you fought so hard to reach me," Hermione pointed out, tightening her grip on her wand as her instincts were warning her that she couldn't trust Harry at the moment.

"I was a fool," Harry snorted. "I made a mistake, Hermione. I never should have left the Order."

"That's not what you were saying this morning," Hermione remarked. "Or have you forgotten that it was only today that The Order kidnapped you? Do you really expect me to believe you've changed your mind in so little time?"

"I'd been having doubts for a while," Harry admitted in a small voice. "Ever since we came back home. The Order just gave me a way out. Yeah, I was mad at them at first, but now I'm just relieved. I can be free again, Hermione."

"You're not free with the Order," Hermione spat. By now she could see there was no sign of Harry fighting someone else controlling him, so she was coming to think that he wasn't under the Imperius Curse. "They're just going to use you as a pawn in this war against my father."

"Like he was going to use me as his pawn," Harry retorted with a sneer. "You may care about me Hermione, but he never did. I was a means to an end for him."

"So what if you were?" Hermione questioned with a shrug, wanting to keep Harry talking for as long as possible while she tried to work out what was going on. "My father never lied to you. You knew what sort of an advantage he would claim with you by his side. But you choose it, Harry. You designed your getaway plan. You chose to leave the Order. Or have you forgiven them for what they did to me?"

"No, of course not," Harry replied quickly, but Hermione could hear the lie underneath his words.

"But I guess it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things," Hermione remarked with a sigh as she tried to gather her thoughts. She now had an idea of what she was dealing with, and she had a strong suspicion as to what was going on with Harry. "You see me as your enemy now, don't you?"

"Yes, I do," Harry confirmed, nodding his head eagerly as he brandished his wand for Hermione to see. "And enemies fight."

Before Hermione could react, he'd knocked her off her feet and she was sent sprawling onto the ground. As she sat up she spotted Draco running her way, but she held her hand up to hold him off as Harry moved to hover over her. Looking up at Harry, she saw confirmation of her suspicion in his green eyes. Eyes which normally looked at her with love, were filled with hate, and that was when she knew for certain that the wizard standing over her was not her best friend. He was an imposter.

"Goodbye, Harry," she whispered just loud enough for him to hear.

Her words clearly threw him and he halted long enough for her to raise her wand and disappear with a pop. The anti-apparition ward only applied to those without The Dark Mark, and thanks to her father's brand, Hermione was able to escape before any damage came to her. However, while she was physically clear of The Burrow, and had in fact landed back at the safety of Malfoy Manor, her mind was still back on what she had discovered.

Hermione had only been back at the manor for a couple of minutes before Draco arrived, eager to check on her safety. Once she assured him that she was okay, and that the wound on her arm wasn't that serious, she retreated into the living room where they waited for everyone else to return. The raid had just been a bit of fun, and while damage would have been done to The Burrow and to The Order, it hadn't been planned as overly destructive so chances were everyone else would be back before too long.

In the end, it was an hour before everyone had returned and Hermione learnt that all of The Order had escaped alive and that The Burrow was badly damaged and would need some major work before it was habitable again. And of course, a few people had seen Harry and everyone wanted answers as to what the situation was with the boy who had been their ally and part of their family only that morning.

"I could have sworn he wasn't been controlled," Voldemort muttered. "I haven't felt anything like that."

"He wasn't under the Imperius Curse," Hermione supplied. "In fact, that wasn't even Harry."

"Polyjuice Potion," Severus hissed, his expression revealing that he was annoyed that the thought hadn't occurred to him before.

"Of course," Lucius spat, equally disgusted as Severus that it was something they'd never even considered as an option. "They were never going to risk the real Harry in a battle."

"But with Polyjuice Potion, they can convince the world he's back on their side," Voldemort mused. "They can give interviews as him, and like tonight, have him fight alongside The Order. Dammit, the bastards are sneakier than I gave them credit for."

"Maybe, but they may have overplayed their hand," Hermione said with a smirk that revealed that she had something up her sleeve. "I say if they want the world to believe they have Harry on their side, we let them. We let them think their plan is working."

"It is going to work though," Draco pointed out. "They'll rally support with Harry back with them."

"Only until we very publicly take Harry out," Hermione announced. "As I said, we let the Order think their plan is working. We let them think that we believe they've turned Harry against us. We fight against him, but we don't hurt him. Not until the time is right."

"And when will the time be right?" Voldemort asked his daughter.

"At a very public battle," Hermione replied. "We arrange an attack somewhere public. We make sure that it's not just us and The Order. We make sure we have spectators. And then, we strike. We kill the Harry imposter and as far as everyone is concerned, we've killed Harry Potter."

"And what's to stop them just using someone else the next time?" Lucius asked. "They could claim the Harry that was killed wasn't the real one, and they were protecting him."

"If they do that, they admit to sending someone else to fight us posing as Harry," Hermione pointed out. "And if they're using Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Harry at battles, what are they doing with the real Harry? If he's really on their side, why isn't he fighting for them?"

"I like it," Voldemort cackled. "They're setting themselves up for a fall. If we kill the impersonator, they either have to tell the truth, and lose any sort of goodwill they will have amassed by having Harry with them, or they've got to let everything think Harry is dead."

"Either way they lose their support again," Hermione finished.

"But how are we going to be sure we're killing an imposter and not the real Harry?" Narcissa checked. "Harry is family, I do not want him endangered in any way."

"We won't kill him right away, I'll make sure to talk to him first," Hermione assured Narcissa. "Believe me, we won't be doing this unless I'm a hundred percent sure that he's not really Harry. But it won't be, because as we've discussed they won't be able to control him and they certainly won't be able to brainwash him into rejoining them willingly."

"That does still leave us with the problem of actually saving him though," Severus reminded everyone. "The world might think he's dead, but that won't mean The Order will just let him go. They'll still have him in their grasp."

"I know it doesn't help us get Harry back, but we just have to have faith in him to stay strong," Hermione said. "He'll know we're coming for him, but he'll also know how hard it's going to be for us. He's just going to have to be patient."

"I'll make sure I keep sending him messages," Voldemort promised. "Don't worry Hope, I'll make sure that he knows we haven't forgotten him. And in the mean time, I'm sure he can cause a bit of trouble. Somehow, I can't see him taking his capture lying down. With any luck, he's proving to The Order what side he's truly on. And it certainly isn't theirs."


	11. Chapter 11

When Harry first woke up for one blissful moment he didn't recall being kidnapped. But sadly it was all too fleeting a moment as he registered he wasn't in his usual bed and everything came flooding back to him. Opening his eyes with a groan, he took in the sight of his old room at Grimmauld Place and mentally prepared himself for another day with the Order. As tempting as it was to stay holed up in his room, he would achieve nothing if he did that. To annoy the Order, and remind them that they would never have him back on their side, he needed to be up and in their faces.

Rolling out of bed, Harry checked the cupboards and found that Sirius had kept all the clothes he hadn't been able to take with him when he'd ran the previous year. He suspected he would have outgrown a fair bit of his clothing, but he was sure his wand-less magic was good enough for him to make the adjustments he needed in order to be comfortable. Throwing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt onto the bed, Harry left his bedroom and made his way to the bathroom.

On his way back from the bathroom he heard noises in one of the spare bedrooms on the landing and poking his head around the door, he was surprised to find Ron sitting on the bed, pulling on his socks. If Harry didn't know better, he would have said that Ron had spent the night. But he'd seen Ron leave the previous evening. So what was he doing back so early?

"What do you want, Potter?" Ron spat without looking up.

"Nothing," Harry replied, chuckling at Ron's use of his last name. Clearly he hated him so much that he couldn't bear to bring himself to use his first name. "Just wondering what you're doing."

"I'm dancing a jig, what does it look like?" Ron sneered, grabbing his shoes and pulling them onto his feet before standing up and turning to glare at Harry.

"I thought you went home last night," Harry remarked. "Don't tell me, you missed me and couldn't bare to be so far away, so you came back," he teased. "I'm flattered, Ron. Really."

"This is the last place I want to be," Ron spat. "But thanks to your friends, we have no choice."

"Why, what happened?" Harry asked, sensing that he'd missed something vital. "You might as well tell me, I'm going to find out anyway," he added when Ron seemed hesitant to talk. "I'm trapped here, and if you are here as well, someone is going to mention why."

"The Burrow was attacked last night," Ron announced, carefully watching Harry to see if there was any sign of the friend he used to know.

"Was anyone hurt?" Harry asked, carefully keeping his expression blank and voice level so that Ron had no idea if he was concerned oo happy about the news.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but we all got away," Ron replied. He still wasn't sure what Harry's thoughts were on the attack, but given where he'd spent the last year, Ron was guessing his sympathies weren't with his family. "Mum and Dad are at The Burrow now assessing the damage, but it didn't look good last night. So for now, we're stuck here."

"Join the club," Harry muttered as he turned and walked away from Ron without another word.

As he got dressed, Harry considered what Ron had told him and grinned to himself at how quickly his family had acted. It didn't bother him that they hadn't attempted a rescue mission, as he knew it was impossible as long as he was held at Order Headquarters which were protected. But the fact they were already attacking the Order, showed they meant business and reminded Harry, not that he needed reminding, that he wasn't alone and that they were still thinking about him.

In high spirits, Harry headed down to breakfast. Ron was nowhere in sight, nor were any of the other Weasleys, but Sirius and Remus were sitting at the breakfast table. Grabbing some cereal, Harry poured himself a generous bowl and dove in.

"What's on the agenda for today?" he asked cheerily in between mouthfuls of cornflakes. "How are you going to keep me occupied today? Or do I have to entertain myself?"

"You can't leave, so you might as well entertain yourself," Sirius muttered.

"You're not giving up already, are you Sirius?" Harry tutted. "I haven't even been back a day and already you're admitting defeat. I thought I would have to endure weeks of you trying to talk me around and trying to make me see you were only doing what you thought was best for me."

"I haven't given up," Sirius promised, raising his eyes to look at his godson. "But I'm also not stupid, and I know that right at this moment, you're not ready to listen to anything I've got to say. But all that will change."

"I wouldn't count on it," Harry snorted.

"It'll change when you see Hermione's true colours," Sirius predicted confidently. "Everything will change when you see how little you mean to her."

"I know how much I mean to Hermione, and I know nothing will change how she feels about me," Harry spat. "I would have thought last night would have shown you how much I'm missed by my family. After all, do you really think The Burrow would have been attacked if you hadn't snatched me?"

"You know about The Burrow?" Remus asked in surprise.

"I ran into Ron upstairs," Harry answered with a shrug. "He was moping about having to be here. You know, I really don't think he likes me any more."

"I can't imagine why," Remus muttered under his breath. The boy sitting at the table with them was nothing like the Harry they used to know, and Remus did not like the person Harry had become during his time away from the Order.

"The Dark may have been retaliating because of your kidnap, but they also now know not to bother to try and rescue you," Sirius gloated. "As far as they're concerned, you're back with us."

"Yeah, because you kidnapped me," Harry laughed.

"And convinced you that this is where you belong," Sirius said.

"Sirius," Remus warned in a low voice. "Is it wise to tell him?"

"It's not like he can communicate with them," Sirius replied with a shrug. "Dumbledore made sure of that."

"Tell me what." Harry looked between the two grown wizards, waiting to see who would answer him. "What am I missing?"

"Only Hermione realising that you're lost to her," Sirius chuckled. "You see Harry, while you were tucked up in bed here, you were also at The Burrow. You fought with Hermione, and you warned her that you were back where you belonged and that she was the enemy."

"You used Polyjuice Potion," Harry spat, appalled at the underhand tactics the Order had used, and slightly impressed that they would go to such extremes.

"And it worked like a charm," Sirius confirmed with a smug smirk.

"Hermione would never believe it was me," Harry protested. "She would never believe I would turn on her so quickly."

"Oh, but she did," Sirius gloated. "I was very convincing, Harry. I saw her heart break when she realised she'd lost you. So I wouldn't be waiting for a rescue if I were you. After last night, the dark will have washed their hands of you. This is now the only home you've got, Harry, so you might as well embrace it."

"Never," Harry spat as he shot up so fast his chair went tumbling to the floor. Not bothering to pick it up, he then stormed out of the kitchen.

Instead of going to his bedroom, Harry found himself heading into the library for some privacy. The very fact he'd come to the very room Hermione had spent so much time in made him smile, and he instantly felt closer to his best friend. Settling down in the large chair, which was where Hermione had been curled up when she'd discovered the truth about who she was, Harry cleared his mind and thought about what Sirius had told him.

His instinct was to yell and shout and make the Order see how stupid they were being in pretending to be him. He didn't even have to think about it know that Hermione and the others wouldn't be fooled, and certainly not this quickly. Maybe if the Order had waited six months or a year, then they might have convinced his family that he had turned on them, but he knew there was no way anyone would believe he would turn so quickly. After all, it wasn't like his turn to the dark had been made overnight. It had been slow-going, and he'd had two years all alone to prepare for the possibility. So his family weren't going to think that he would be back on the Order's side after just a few hours in their company.

However, Sirius seemed convinced that Hermione bought his act, which led Harry to think that was exactly what Hermione had intended. Knowing how bright Hermione was, and given how close they were, he was guessing that it hadn't taken her long to know that she wasn't dealing with the real Harry. But the fact she'd let Sirius believe he'd convinced her he was the real deal, told Harry that his best friend likely already had a plan in place. And even though he didn't know what the plan was, he did know he was going to do his best to help her out with it. And that meant not kicking up a fuss over Hermione not believing Sirius's act.

"Maybe it's time I changed my act," he mused quietly.

His plan had been to be as disruptive as possible, but maybe he should take a leaf out of Hermione's book and give the Order what they wanted. Maybe it was time to let them think that all their plans were working. All it would take was another couple of Polyjuice incidents and he could allow Sirius to think that he was starting to see that Hermione had turned on him. And Sirius was so desperate to get him back, and so desperate to believe their plan was working, that he'd believe anything. Even a complete turnaround in Harry's attitude.

An hour later, Harry was still contemplating how to play things with the Order when he heard movement behind him. Peering around the back of the chair, he spotted Ginny entering the library. However, the second she saw him, she backed off and was clearly going to leave the room.

"Ginny, wait," he called, wondering how easy it would be to manipulate Ginny given the crush she'd had on him before he'd ran away. "I won't hurt you. I'm unarmed."

"I'm not," Ginny said, pulling her wand from her pocket, although she stopped shuffling backwards.

"I get it, I do something wrong, you hex me," Harry said, holding his hands up.

"Why are you being so nice?" Ginny asked as she tentatively approached Harry and moved so that she was standing in front of the large chair he was nestled in. "Yesterday you were like a raging bull."

"Yesterday I was kidnapped," Harry retorted. "I was angry."

"And today?" Ginny queried, clearly not believing Harry could stop being angry so quickly.

"Toady I'm still angry, but also confused," Harry lied. Truth be told he was just angry, but it was time to see how good his acting skills were.

"Confused about what?" Ginny asked as she perched on a chair opposite Harry.

"Last night," Harry replied. "I saw Ron this morning and he told me about The Burrow. I was shaken by how much it upset me. I guess I didn't realise how much I still care about your family, Gin."

"You expect me to believe you care about my family when you ran away?" Ginny scoffed, although Harry could see the doubt in her eyes. "You ran away from all of us, Harry, and it tore my family apart. The twins don't speak to us and Bill and Charlie barely come home any more. Not to mention what you did to the Order. You joined up with the enemy."

"I know, and I wish I could say I regret it, but I don't," Harry said gently. "I don't regret putting Hermione first. I can't agree with what your mother and Sirius were planning."

"I don't think many people do agree with them," Ginny admitted. "I don't. I understand why they were worried, but not what they were planning."

"That's what changed everything you know," Harry said. "It wasn't that they were worried about Hermione, it was what they were going to do to her. Hermione would have understood their fear, but she couldn't understand their desire to kill her. If only they hadn't been planning to harm her, then she never would have ran. She never would have went in search of her father."

"Wouldn't she?" Ginny questioned. "I know Mum and Sirius were wrong in how they'd planned to handle things, but their worry was that she would turn out to be just like her father. And they were right, she has turned out to be like him."

"Only because she was pushed into it," Harry argued. "It's ironic that the very thing Molly and Sirius were worried about, was something that only happened because of them. They pushed her down the path she took, Ginny. If she hadn't had to flee for her life, she never would have embraced the darkness. Be turning on her the way they did, Molly and Sirius created the very thing they feared the most."

"I guess I never looked at it like that," Ginny conceded and Harry could see that with some work, he could have her eating out of the palm of his hand. "But what about you? Your life wasn't in danger and you ran and embraced the dark."

"I ran, and I tried to embrace the dark, but I'm not sure I was too successful," Harry lied. "I wanted to be with Hermione, and I wanted to make her happy, so I agreed to support her father. But it's never been easy for me, Ginny. I've been conflicted for a long time, but I've been hiding it. And being here just makes it worse, because I'm surrounded by people I'm supposed to have left behind."

"People you're supposed to not care about," Ginny whispered.

"Exactly," Harry sighed. "But I do care, Ginny. My heart was in my mouth when Ron mentioned the attack on The Burrow. I was so worried that someone had been hurt."

"No-one was hurt," Ginny assured him, giving him a smile for the first time since they started talking.

"That's good," Harry said with a nod as he returned Ginny's smile. "Can I ask you something about last night? Did you see me there?"

"Yes," Ginny replied hesitantly, and Harry could see that she wasn't sure what to say as she didn't know what he knew.

"Don't worry, I know I wasn't there," Harry chuckled. "I know it was Sirius. But I was wondering how much of his talk with Hermione you saw. Did she really believe I'd abandoned her?"

"I didn't see a lot as I was busy fighting Malfoy," Ginny confessed. "But Malfoy seemed to think it was you, and from what I saw of Hermione, so did she. Sirius certainly thinks she was convinced."

"So he said," Harry said sadly.

"That bothers you?" Ginny asked in concern.

"It makes me wonder if it was all worth it," Harry said, lying through his teeth and marvelling at how eager Ginny was to lap up what he was saying. "I gave up everything for her, but at the first sign of trouble, she believes the worst in me. It makes me wonder if she was just using me all along. Maybe she wasn't the friend I thought she was."

"I think the darkness had already corrupted her," Ginny said softly. "I don't think she was evil because of who her father was. I think you're right, and she was driven down the path she took thanks to my mother and Sirius. But I do think that by the time you went to her, she was already too far gone. I think she used you, Harry. I think they all used you."

"You know what Ginny, that's exactly what I'm starting to think," Harry said sadly as he got to his feet.

Not wanting to push his luck, Harry said his goodbyes and headed to his bedroom. He was pretty confident that Ginny had bought his act, and if Ginny had believed him then soon the rest of the Order would follow suit. Before long he would have them all thinking he was coming around and would soon be genuinely back on their side. But he would never be back on their side. He'd long since chosen sides, and his loyalty, and more importantly his heart, lay with the dark.


	12. Chapter 12

Slowly walking down Diagon Alley, Hermione could hardly believe that twenty four hours earlier she'd been there and everything had been so perfect. Harry had been with them and it never occurred to any of them that he could be in so much danger. But a day later, everything had changed and even though she had a plan to thwart the Order's plan to use Harry to their advantage, she knew she wouldn't rest until he was back safe and sound with his family.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked her, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"I'm fine," Hermione replied with a firm nod. "I want to do this, Draco."

"I know," Draco said. "But given what happened yesterday, you can't blame me for being nervous."

"I hardly think the same thing will happen again," Hermione remarked with a sad smile. "Not with our bodyguards back there."

"We can hear you," Lucius called from where he and Severus was walking directly behind the young couple. Voldemort had agreed to Hermione's request to visit Diagon Alley, but it had been on the proviso that Lucius and Severus were with her the entire time.

"I didn't think you'd suddenly gone deaf," Hermione said, glancing behind her and smirking at Lucius. "I know what father said, but you and Severus really don't need to follow so closely. In fact you could even go and have a drink and we could meet up when I'm done."

"Not happening," Severus replied with a serious frown. "You're stuck with us, Hermione."

"Fine, but you have to give us some space when we get to the shop," Hermione argued.

"We'll see," Lucius commented non-committally as the group came to a stop outside of the Weasley twins joke shop, Weasleys Wizard Wheezes.

Giving the two older wizards a stern glare, Hermione led the way into the twins shop. The previous day they'd been planning on visiting the shop, and Hermione knew it would have been a great experience as there looked to be so much to explore. However, things had changed since yesterday and she wasn't visiting the twins on a social call.

"Hermione," Fred called warmly, spotting Hermione and approaching her with a smile. However, his smile faltered slightly when he spotted Lucius and Severus hovering behind Hermione.

"Hi Fred," Hermione replied with a small smile of her own. "Is George here? I need to talk to you both."

"It sounds serious," Fred remarked.

"It is," Hermione answered.

"George is out the back, we can go on through," Fred offered. "Is everyone coming?" he asked warily, looking more towards Lucius and Severus than Draco.

"No," Hermione answered before either Lucius or Severus got a chance to speak. "Lucius and Severus will wait out here. But Draco will be with me if that's okay."

"It's fine," Fred assured her. "Come on through."

"Please don't cause a fuss," Hermione said, turning to Lucius and Severus. "I'll just be out the back, and I trust the twins. I'll have Draco with me the entire time, and if I need help, I'll shout."

"Fine," Lucius conceded with a sigh. "But if you're too long, we will be checking on you."

Rolling her eyes, but at the same time understanding why both men were being so protective, Hermione accompanied Draco and Fred as they went into the back room. George had been busy sorting stock when they entered the room, and he greeted Hermione just as warmly as his twin had done.

"Why do I get the feeling you're about to tell us something bad?" Fred asked. "Especially with your bodyguards out there."

"Bodyguards?" George frowned. "You have body guards?"

"It's just father and Severus," Draco replied. "They're just being protective after what happened yesterday."

"What did happen yesterday?" George asked.

"I guess it's best if we start from the beginning," Hermione said, leaning against a nearby table jam packed with boxes. "Yesterday a group of us came to Diagon Alley to hang out. Harry was with us, but he was taken."

"Taken?" Fred queried. "What do you mean by taken?"

"He was kidnapped," Hermione answered. "He was snatched from the street in broad daylight."

"Who would kidnap Harry?" George asked without thinking. "Hold on, don't tell me," he groaned as his brain caught up with his mouth. "The Order?"

"The Order," Draco confirmed with a sneer.

"I don't believe them," Fred hissed angrily. "Haven't they done enough? Just when we thought they couldn't stoop any lower."

"Just tell us what you need, and we'll help you," George offered.

"You might not be as keen to help when I tell you the next bit," Hermione admitted with a wince.

"Why? What happened next?" Fred asked warily.

"We knew we couldn't get to Harry as he's likely being held at Headquarters, and Severus and I know we can't divulge the location or even get back there ourselves," Hermione explained. "So we decided to send a message to the Order, just to let them know we wouldn't take this lying down."

"Quite right," George said with an approving nod.

"We decided the best way was to attack somewhere we could get to," Hermione continued, her words coming slower as she reached the part of the story which might just turn the twins against them. "We never hurt anyone, just caused a bit of damage," she clarified. "The aim was to ruffle feathers."

"Where did you attack?" Fred asked as he and George shared a wary look.

"The Burrow," Hermione answered on a sharp exhale of breath as she braced herself for the twins reaction.

"But as she said, no-one was hurt," Draco firmly added. "There was some structural damage to the house, but that was it. We were merely sending a message. We didn't want the Order to think that we were just going to accept them taking Harry. He's family, and we want him back."

"You think of Harry as family?" George asked, directing his question at Draco.

"We all do," Draco confirmed. "And we will not stop until he's back where he belongs."

"But no-one was hurt?" Fred checked.

"No-one was hurt," Hermione confirmed. "I admit I had a duel with Ron, but he gave as good as he got. I promise you, your family wasn't hurt."

"That's something," Fred mused. To be honest he wasn't sure what to think as his relief that his family were uninjured didn't make him forget their past actions and the fact that you could argue that the darks attack was completely justified as the Order has struck first by kidnapping Harry.

"There is more," Draco said, wanting to make sure that Hermione told the twins the entire story before they made their minds up to walk away from her.

"What?" George asked. He was just as confused as Fred, and he knew he and his brother would have to have a good talk once Hermione and her boyfriend had left.

"Harry turned up at The Burrow while we were there," Hermione said.

"He what?" Fred frowned in confusion. "So does that mean he's back with you?"

"No, he fought me and claimed to hate me," Hermione answered. "He said that the kidnapping was divine intervention and it had returned him to where he wanted to be. He claimed to have had regrets for a long time and he wanted to be away from us ever since we came back to England."

"Bullshit," George snorted. "Fred and I helped him escape the Order, we know how much he wanted to be with you and how much he hated them for what they had done to you."

"And don't forget our recent meeting," Fred added. "We could all see how settled he was with you and your family."

"But how could the Order have turned him so quickly?" George mused.

"They could have used the Imperius Curse on him," Fred suggested.

"Or even Polyjuice Potion," Hermione said quietly.

"Polyjuice Potion?" Fred gasped. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," Hermione confirmed with a nod. "They wanted me to think it was Harry, but I'm positive it wasn't. We think the Order intend to try and make everyone believe they have Harry back and on their side."

"Bloody hell, they really are despicable," George said with a sad shake of his head.

"I get they think they need to fight your father, Hermione," Fred admitted. "But what I don't understand if their constant desire to use and abuse other people. First you and now Harry. How can they claim to be the good guys when they're running around kidnapping people and plotting murders?"

"It beats me, but I just wanted you to know the full story," Hermione said. "I'm sure you'll find out about what happened at The Burrow soon enough, but I wanted you to know why it happened. I also wanted to warn you that while your family may not have been hurt last night, I can't make the same promises for the future. Things are going to escalate now, and there will be casualties."

"We understand," George said. "Given what's happened, I wish we could say we could support you, but I don't think either of us could actively fight against our family."

"I wouldn't expect you too," Hermione assured the twins.

"But we will try and help with Harry," Fred offered. "We helped him escape once, so we might be able to do it again."

"No offence, but I don't think it will be as easy this time," Draco said. "The Order are going to be much more careful with him, and aren't the pair of you estranged from your family?"

"At the moment, but an attack on the family home could be just what's needed to mend fences," George replied, sharing a devious smirk with his twin. Of course they still needed to talk properly, but as always their minds were on the same page and they knew what each other was thinking.

"Any help you can give us would be appreciated," Hermione said with a smile. "And I know it might not happen, but if you see Harry can you give him a message from me. Tell him that we love him, and we will never give up on him."

"We will," Fred assured her. "And thank you for telling us everything. We appreciate you not leaving anything out."

Hoping that the twins meant what they said, and wouldn't turn against them, Hermione said her goodbyes and she and Draco left the shops back room. Unsurprisingly they found Lucius and Severus hovering at the back of the shop, and the first thing either of them wanted to know was if Hermione was alright.

"I'm fine," she assured them both. "We can talk when we get home."

Less than ten minutes later the foursome arrived back at Malfoy Manor and Hermione recounted her conversation with the twins. However, she wasn't in the mood to go over the conversation dozens of times, so once everyone knew what had happened she excused herself and went to her room.

"Are you really okay?" Draco asked as he joined Hermione on her bed.

"No," Hermione replied honestly. "I feel like all of this is my fault."

"How can it be your fault?" Draco asked, tucking a loose strand of hair behind Hermione's ear.

"None of this would be happening if I hadn't overheard Molly and Sirius talking," Hermione pointed out. "If I'd never learnt the truth about who I was, everything would have been the same. Harry would never have been forced to choose between me and the Order."

"Are you forgetting that you overheard a plot to end your life?" Draco questioned. "If you hadn't heard that, you wouldn't be here. Black and the Mother She-Weasel would have ensured that you had a nasty accident."

"I don't regret being alive," Hermione clarified. "But I do sometimes regret the trouble the truth has caused. And not just with Harry. Sometimes I think of the pain my father goes through and wonder if it wasn't better for him to believe he'd lost me. At least that way he'd dealt with his grief. But this way he has to live with the pain of knowing that I grew up without him. He has to live knowing that I was alive and he thought I was dead."

"I'm sure he'd rather have that pain and have you in his life now, then not have you at all," Draco said softly. "I can see why you think things would have been easier if the truth hadn't come out, but while it might have been easier, it wouldn't have been better. So many people deserved to know the truth about what happened, both to you and your mother, and now to Harry. The Order need to be exposed for the unscrupulous bastards they are. Hell, we might practice dark magic, but in this equation we're the sodding good guys."

"I'm not sure I would go that far," Hermione chuckled. "But I do get the point you're making. And I guess deep down I know it's not really my fault all this is happening, but sometimes you can't always help how you feel."

"Anytime you feel like blaming yourself, come to me and I'll snap you out of it," Draco promised her. "I'll make you see how lucky we all are to have you in our lives. Things might be difficult at the moment, but it won't always be that way. We will get Harry back, and life will go on. And I for one am bloody well pleased you're part of my life. I love you, Hermione."

"I love you, too."

Snuggling up to Draco, Hermione drew comfort in her boyfriend's embrace as she prepared herself for the tough times that lay ahead. She believed Draco was right and that one day they would get Harry back and life would go on, but until then life was going to involve a whole lot more fighting. It was time to show the Order just who they were dealing with, and time to prove that her family could be every bit as dark as the Order believed. Molly and Sirius had wanted to stop her because they feared how she would turn out, and she was going to show them that they were right to fear her. As thanks to them, she'd embraced a darkness she'd never known she possessed and she wouldn't rest until Harry was safe and all those who had wronged her and her family paid for their sins.


	13. Chapter 13

Following his conversation with Ginny, Harry decided to lay low for a while. He'd been thrilled when she'd lapped up his lies so easily, and while in the long term he planned on turning his acting skills on the other members of the Order and getting them to believe the same lies he'd told Ginny, he knew that right now it was too soon to do so. However, he knew that despite her eagerness to believe him, Ginny wasn't stupid and if she witnessed too much of his troublesome behaviour, she would begin to doubt everything he had told her. So he had to make sure that when Ginny was around, he was more subdued and never let her see the anger that was bubbling inside of him.

In his bid to lie low, Harry ended up falling asleep and missing lunch. When he did wake up, it was late afternoon and his stomach was rumbling. Heading downstairs to grab some food, Harry was puzzled to find the door to the living room was closed. And he was even more puzzled as he neared the door and heard raised voices. Hovering outside the room, he clearly heard Ron's irate voice. He could also pick out Molly's voice, and he was sure he could also hear Arthur's more quiet tones.

Although before Harry could work out what was going on, and what the arguing was about, Sirius appeared and physically dragged him down to the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" Harry hissed, pulling out of Sirius's grasp as soon as he could.

"That conversation has nothing to do with you," Sirius replied.

"Then they shouldn't be having it in a house I'm being held prisoner," Harry sneered. Since he was guessing Ginny was involved in whatever the Weasleys were discussing, he was free to be himself and let his true feelings about his situation show.

"Don't be so childish," Sirius snapped. "What do you want?"

"Something to eat," Harry muttered, marching towards the fridge. "Or do you intend to starve me?"

"You can eat whatever you want," Sirius said with a shrug. "As I said before, this is your home."

"This is not my home, this is my prison," Harry retorted with a snort.

"Be like that if you want," Sirius said with a sigh as he slumped down at the kitchen table.

Ignoring his godfather, Harry grabbed the ingredients to make himself a large sandwich. Just as he finished making the sandwich, Remus entered the room shaking his head.

"I can't believe they're still arguing," he remarked to Sirius, not noticing Harry hovering beside the fridge. "At a time like this, they should all be pulling together."

"I guess it's hard given the circumstances," Sirius replied, jerking his head in Harry's direction and alerting his best friend to his presence.

"Harry," Remus mumbled. "I didn't see you there."

"Obviously," Harry drawled as he settled himself down at the kitchen table to eat. He had been going to return to his room, but he sensed an opportunity to cause some mischief. "So why are the Weasleys fighting?"

"That is none of your business," Sirius replied sharply.

"It's not," Harry agreed. "But stuck here, I'm going to find out. I'm sure the portrait of your mother heard enough to know what's going on. Maybe I should go and ask her."

"You will go nowhere near my mother," Sirius spat. "She'd only tell you what she thought you would want to hear. She can't be trusted, Harry."

"That makes two of us," Harry retorted cheekily. "So what are the Weasleys arguing about?" he pressed.

"He's right you know," Remus said with a sigh. "He will find out what's going on."

"Fine," Sirius huffed. "They're trying to decide if they should allow the twins to come and visit. Fred and George sent a letter earlier saying they'd heard about the attack and wanted to check everyone was alright."

"And not everyone wants to see the twins?" Harry questioned with a genuine frown of confusion.

"Not everyone trusts the twins," Remus said sadly. "After they helped you run away, they turned their backs on their family. Certain people are worried it might be a trap, and they want to meet up to either get information on you, or gather information they can give to the dark."

"That's preposterous," Harry snorted. "Yes, the twins helped me escape and yes, they disapprove of their family's actions, but that doesn't mean they would work against them. In fact, I happen to know that they would never go up against their family."

"And how do you know that?" Sirius sneered.

"We met up shortly after we came home," Harry explained. "Hermione pretty much offered them the choice to join the dark, but they refused. They did say they would never fight with the Order again, but they also vowed never to raise arms against their family. Of course this might have changed everything, and knowing their family has been in danger might have changed their thinking."

"Are you saying you think the twins could be persuaded to rejoin us?" Remus asked sceptically.

"I don't know," Harry answered with a shrug. "But as neutrals, I'm guessing they could be swayed either way. This could be the thing that sways them back towards the Order."

"Or it could all be an elaborate trick," Sirius muttered, his dark eyes boring into Harry. "You could be trying to trick us."

"And who would I have planned this trick with?" Harry asked with a sharp burst of laughter. "I'm cut off here. I haven't seen the twins for weeks. I'm merely saying that last time I saw them, they were staying neutral. But hey, this has got nothing to do with me. Let the Weasleys refuse to see the twins, maybe that will sway them the other way."

"You're trouble, Harry," Sirius spat, not knowing what game his godson was playing, but yet feeling as though he was playing with them.

"Thanks," Harry replied with a grin. "Although why can't the twins just come and see their family? They know where headquarters are?"

"Did you ever try and return once you'd left?" Remus asked.

"Why would I have wanted to return?" Harry scoffed.

"Because this is your home," Sirius replied softly.

"It was a prison then, and it's a prison now," Harry said with a shrug.

"As I'm sure you're aware, the many protective spells around the place prevent people from revealing the location," Remus continued, well aware of how hard these interactions with Harry were for Sirius, and wanting to spare his friend some more pain at the hands of the godson he loved. "They also stop people with dubious intentions entering. So unless you'd been genuine in wanting to return, you never would have made it."

"So you're saying the reason the twins can't come here is because their intention isn't to side with the Order?" Harry scoffed. "That's just stupid."

"No," Sirius said. "The reason the twins can't just turn up is because of the spell which revoked them of their access. When they turned their backs on us, we protected ourselves by denying them access to us. We also did the same with you, Hermione and that snake, Snape. None of you could have returned without our say so."

Harry was quiet, digesting what that meant for his rescue. He already knew Hermione and Severus couldn't use their previous knowledge of Order Headquarters to save him, but now he knew that even if they could find a way to reveal his location, they would be unable to come for him themselves. Although unless they managed to change the spells protecting the place, none of his family could come for him as they all had dubious intentions when it came to the Order. He was well and truly trapped, and he knew now it would be up to himself to get away from Grimmauld Place.

"I told you rescue wouldn't be coming," Sirius chuckled. "Even if they wanted to rescue you, which they no longer do, they can't. The sooner you accept that, the better it will be for all of us, Harry."

"Maybe I'm not ready to accept it," Harry said quietly, making his voice sound hesitant as he got to his feet.

Turning on his heel, he strode from the kitchen, hoping that his final words would get Sirius and Remus thinking that there was hope for him after all. He needed to sow the seeds of change early on if his plan of pretending to turn was going to work, and with any luck, he'd just planted a few nuggets of doubt. Hopefully Sirius and Remus would now be thinking that the reality was starting to set in for him, and he was slowly coming to see that escape wasn't possible.

Chuckling to himself at how easy the Order were to manipulate, Harry called in the library to grab a book before returning to his bedroom. Unlike Hermione and Draco, who could spend hours reading, Harry wasn't as keen on books, but with not much else to do it would help pass the time. Although luckily for Harry, he'd managed to pick an engaging story and an hour later he was so caught up in the book he was reading that he failed to notice Ginny hovering in the doorway. It wasn't until she cleared her throat, that he looked up and realised he wasn't alone.

"I want to thank you," she said quietly.

"What for?" Harry asked, putting his book to one side.

"For what you said about the twins," Ginny replied. "Sirius and Remus told us what you said, and it helped Mum and Dad agree to let them visit. They'll be here later this evening."

"That's good," Harry said with a genuine smile. Truthfully, he didn't know if the attack on The Burrow would turn the twins back to the Order, but even if it did, he didn't begrudge them the chance to reunite with their family, not after everything they'd done for him.

"What is going on here?" Ron's voice suddenly demanded as he loomed in the doorway, a murderous look on his face.

"We're just talking," Ginny said.

"You shouldn't be talking with him, Ginny," Ron hissed. "He's nothing but trouble. Thanks to his interference, the twins will be coming here, and I for one don't trust them."

"How can you not trust them? They're our brothers, they would never hurt us," Ginny protested, whirling to face her brother.

"Fine, I don't trust him," Ron spat, jerking his finger in Harry's direction. "There's a reason he wants the twins here, and you can bet it's not a good one."

As Ginny laid into Ron for thinking the worst of the twins, Harry couldn't help but smirk in Ron's direction, giving the impression he was right and he had something up his sleeve. The result was Ron growling angrily and glaring at Harry, but by the time Ginny turned to see what could have upset her brother, Harry was sitting with his head demurely lowered. In Ginny's eyes, Harry was doing nothing to provoke Ron, and it was her brother causing the trouble.

"You should be ashamed of yourself, Ronald Weasley," Ginny hissed, pushing at her brother's chest and forcing him out of Harry's room. "Harry was your best friend for years, and now he needs our help. Friends do not give up on each other."

"He stopped being my friend the moment he chose Hermione and her father over us," Ron sneered. "And if you're not careful, Ginny, you're going to go the same way. The Harry we knew is dead. That thing in there isn't our friend. He killed our friend and is now rotten to the core. And I for one won't rest until he's six feet under."

"Ron," Ginny gasped as Ron turned and stalked away, slamming the door of the spare room he was staying in behind him. "I'm so sorry, Harry," she said, turning back to Harry, who had moved to the doorway to get a better view of the action.

"Don't be," Harry said with a shy smile. "I can't blame him really. I did abandon everyone for Hermione. I was so focused on her that I forgot I had other friends. I know I'll have to work hard to win back Ron's trust. I'll have to work hard to win everyone's trust."

"If you're genuine, you'll manage it," Ginny said, giving him a reassuring smile, before heading off to get ready for the twins visit, which was only possible thanks to Harry's words and reassurances that the twins would never fight for the dark.

* * *

Waving a letter in the air, Hermione rushed into the living room at the manor, announcing joyfully that Harry was fine.

"How do you know?" Severus asked. "Who is the letter from?"

"The twins," Hermione replied with a grin. "They saw their family yesterday."

"And?" Lucius questioned with a confused frown.

"At Order Headquarters," Hermione clarified, still unable to stop herself from smiling. "Apparently Harry told the Order that the twins would never fight against their family."

"But they will report back on them it seems," Severus drawled. "And here was me thinking the Weasleys were loyal."

"And they would have been, had their family not behaved so despicably," Hermione retorted. "But that doesn't matter right now. What matters is that the twins once again have an in with the Order. They might be able to help Harry escape when the time comes."

"But what do they say about Harry now?" Draco asked. "How do they know he's okay? I can't imagine the Order left them alone to talk to him."

"They didn't," Hermione admitted. "They were allowed to see their family, and that was all. They only saw Harry briefly, and couldn't pass any messages along, but he was able to give them a thumbs up. It means he's coping, I know it does."

"Of course it does," Voldemort said with a positive nod of his head. "Our boy is strong. He knows we're doing all we can to get to him. He's smart enough to sit tight and wait for us."

"The twins also said they were confident that they would be able to visit their family again," Hermione continued. "They didn't say as much, but I think they're going to try and convince them that they want to rejoin the Order."

"And how do we know it isn't a genuine desire to rejoin the Order?" Lucius questioned cautiously. "What if being around their family reignites their desire to fight us."

"It won't," Hermione replied confidently. "The twins don't want to fight on either side. They won't commit to us, because we're going up against their family, but they won't support their family after everything they've done. All they want to do is help Harry. And let's be honest, we might need them. There's a good chance, we'll never get close enough to order Headquarters to rescue Harry ourselves."

"Hermione does have a point," Severus said with a nod. "We have no idea what sort of protection the Order have placed on Headquarters. I can't imagine Hermione or I could ever set foot there again."

"Let's not worry about that just yet," Voldemort cautioned. "We all have faith in Harry to survive, and at least now we know he's okay. But now it's time to set our other plan in motion. It's time for the world to see that Harry Potter is once more fighting with the Order."

"When do we start?" Hermione asked eagerly. She would have been desperate for action even if Harry hadn't been taken, but with Harry missing, she was eager to get going and put their plan into motion.

"As soon as possible," Voldemort replied. "I want to plan a steady stream of attacks. Each attack must be somewhere public, and we have to ensure there are witnesses to see Harry fighting with the Order. By the time it comes to his final battle, the whole world will know he's back fighting against us, and the whole world will feel it when he's killed."

"I also think everyone should try and interact with him," Hermione said. "I'm positive I'm right and we're not dealing with the real Harry, but I want to be sure. I want everyone to agree that I'm right and we're fighting an imposter."

"I agree," Voldemort said with a nod. "Don't all push it at once as there will be plenty of battles before the big one, but I do want everyone to have faced Harry. Before we make plans for the big battle, we need to be sure we're not going to kill our Harry."

With determination in everyone's eyes, plans were made for the forthcoming attacks. It was time to take the fight to the Order, and time to ruin their best laid plans. Within a month 'Harry Potter' would be dead, and then the ball would be in the Order's court. They would find out how they were going to proceed without their saviour, and how they were going to explain the fact they still had a living Harry Potter when the whole world had seen him fall.


	14. Chapter 14

The first attack the dark launched was on a wizarding village along the Welsh border, and it ran entirely to plan. The Death Eaters had been ordered to create as much chaos as possible without slaughtering the entire village. After all, they wanted plenty of witnesses when the Order arrived. They were also under order's not to go anywhere near to Harry if he turned up. Even if he was fighting for the opposition, they'd been ordered to defend themselves against any attack he might launch at them, but not to hurt him in any way.

When of course Harry did turn up, Hermione heard the rumblings from the Death Eaters. To them it looked as though Harry had deserted their cause and that Voldemort was doing nothing about it. Hermione even heard a couple of Death Eaters remarking that The Dark Lord had gone soft, and in the old days he wouldn't have thought twice about killing a traitor. And of course, her name was mentioned and it was clear that the disgruntled Death Eaters blamed her for what they saw as weakness from their leader. However, there was still enough fear of Voldemort running through the ranks that no-one dared say anything like that to his face, which was good for them as Hermione knew her father wouldn't have hesitated to dispatch anyone questioning his decisions.

As expected, Harry's arrival with the Order caught the attention of the under siege villagers, and in the aftermath of the attack, word quickly began to spread that Harry Potter had been seen fighting alongside the Order. In the days following the attack, rumours were rife in the media and among the general wizarding public. And even though they had no way of knowing, the dark strongly suspected that the Order were winning a bit more support than they'd had recently.

Not wanting to rest and let the rumours die down, the second attack came less than a week after the first one, and once again there were plenty of witnesses that saw Harry fighting with the Order. And then came Dumbledore's master-stroke as The Daily Prophet printed an exclusive interview with 'Harry', where he pretty much confirmed every lie Dumbledore had spread over the past few years. According to the interview, Harry was deceived by Hermione, and lured into what turned out to be a trap. The interview claimed that Harry had never willingly joined Voldemort, and that the display at the quidditch match had all been done using the Imperius Curse.

As certain sections of the public lapped up the lies, Hermione had to laugh at their gullibility. It had seemingly never occurred to some people that if the dark side had supposedly used magic to control Harry, then the Order were just as capable of doing the same thing. But it seemed there were still people out there willing to believe whatever Dumbledore said, providing he had Harry on side to ensure they won the war. It would appear that without Harry, Dumbledore was powerless to garner support, but with Harry, he was unstoppable and almost anyone would pledge their support.

Not that everyone was pledging their support to the Order, and that included the Professors at Hogwarts, who knew the truth about what had happened with Hermione, if not the truth about the fact Harry was being held against his will. Hermione and Harry's other friends, Neville, Dean and Seamus were also not sucked in by Dumbledore's lies and Hermione had exchanged letters with them all, explaining that Harry had been kidnapped and they weren't to believe anything the Order claimed Harry had said or done as it wasn't true. And as for the twins, they were still trying to stay close to their family, and the Order, but had assured Hermione that when it came to it, they would not be fighting with the Order. They also promised her that they were working on a way to rescue Harry, but Hermione didn't want to get her hopes up in case it proved tougher that imagined to liberate Harry a second time. For now, she was focused on the battles and laying the platform for the big battle which would see the end of the fake Harry Potter.

By the third battle, the rest of the family had all faced 'Harry', and had all agreed that Hermione was right and they were fighting an imposter. Some deduction on their part had helped them work out that no-one had seen Sirius during the first attack, but he had been seen at the second attack where there had been no sign of Lupin. Wondering what they would do if the attack lasted more than an hour, Hermione mentioned it to her father and he ensured that the third attack was the most brutal and lengthy to date.

Noting the time the Order arrived, Hermione kept a close eye on the time and as it neared the hour mark, she and Draco positioned themselves on a hillside that overlooked the small town which was being attacked. To anyone watching, the pair were merely ensuring that no-one escaped from the carnage, but what they'd done was locate Harry and were watching him closely.

"It's getting close to an hour," Draco remarked. "He has to either replenish the potion or vanish soon."

"My vote is for vanish," Hermione remarked as Harry backed towards plumes of thick smoke which were billowing from a building behind him.

As they watched, Harry disappeared from view as the smoke engulfed him. Seconds later, Remus Lupin emerged from the smoke, coughing and covering his mouth. Draco smirked at Hermione, but her eyes were still on the village below and she easily spotted Harry popping out of another building just a few feet further down the road.

"And he's back," Hermione said, directing her boyfriend's gaze to where Harry was now back in the thick of fighting.

"Funny, Black was there earlier," Draco drawled.

"I just bet he was," Hermione chuckled. "I could be wrong, but I think unless things lasted a long time, Sirius and Lupin are going to be splitting the polyjuice duties."

"So one of them will soon be meeting their maker," Draco said. "I wonder which one."

"Given what he was planning to do with me, I hope it's Sirius," Hermione growled. "And I hope he bloody well suffers."

"I'm sure he will," Draco assured his girlfriend. "Do you want to get back into the fray?"

"No, I've had enough," Hermione replied with a shake of her head as she turned her back on the action. "Yet again, Harry has been seen fighting with the Order. People believe he is back with them and once again against the dark, so our job is done. I'm going home and grabbing a shower. Let father know where I am."

Leaving Draco to break the news of her departure to her father, even though she suspected he would know she had left due to the connection he had with her Dark Mark, Hermione headed back to the manor, where she indulged in a long, hot shower. By the time she emerged from the shower and was dressed, she knew everyone was back and she found Draco lounging on her bed.

"Your father wants to speak to us," Draco informed her.

"Is he mad I left?" Hermione asked.

"He didn't mind," Draco replied with a shrug. "He said pretty much the same as you, that the job was done. I think he's gearing up for the big one."

"Good, I'm ready to really test myself," Hermione remarked with a sly grin. "These attacks have been fun, but pretty toothless. I want so see exactly what I'm capable of. I want to see how dark I've become."

"You are capable of anything," Draco said. "And as for how dark you are, I think you might surprise yourself. I think there's darkness in you that hasn't yet been unleashed."

"Let's make sure we unleash it on the Order, especially those who kidnapped me as a child and then planned to kill me," Hermione said fiercely as she grabbed hold of Draco's hand and the pair headed downstairs to talk with the rest of the family.

When everyone was already waiting for them in the living room, Hermione knew her father meant business, and sure enough, no sooner had she and Draco taken their seats that The Dark Lord announced it was time to plan the big showdown.

"I want somewhere very public, not just some random village or town," he announced. "My first thought was Hogsmeade, but it's still the summer holidays, so it's pretty quiet up there. Besides, we've still got Dumbledore to take out at a later date, so we might need to use Hogsmeade then."

"The most public place I can think of is Diagon Alley," Draco remarked.

"Just my thinking, young Draco," Voldemort said, throwing the young blond wizard a proud smirk. "Diagon Alley is always busy, and with the holidays still ongoing, it's even busier. Plus, it's good sense to cause some damage to somewhere so central to our world's identity as we did when we struck there in the New Year."

"When were you thinking about launching the attack?" Hermione questioned.

"It needs to be planned to perfection, and that takes time," Voldemort replied. "Probably a couple of weeks. And a few weeks inactivity will have the Order worrying. The second they hear about the attack, they'll be there like locusts."

"How would you feel about minimising the damage to the twins shop?" Hermione asked.

"Why would we do that?" Voldemort questioned with a frown. "I know they are your friends, Hope, but don't you think it will look odd if no damage befalls their property?"

"I'm not saying no damage, but keep it to a minimum," Hermione said. "I know you all have your doubts about the twins, but don't forget they helped Harry escape the first time."

"We're not forgetting that, Hermione," Severus said gently. "But this is very different. Back then, the Death Eaters were virtually defunct. The war was on hold. But now we are active again."

"Severus is right," Voldemort said with a nod. "And don't forget, we attacked their family home."

"But they're so mad at their family," Hermione argued. "They don't want to be part of their family any more."

"Times of crisis tend to change people's point of view, and make them reassess their priorities," Lucius advised. "As much as they may disagree with their parents actions, they might not be able to bring themselves to stand against them."

"No-one is asking them to do that," Hermione protested. "They can stay neutral."

"And how neutral will they be viewed when their business is protected from a Death Eater attack?" Voldemort questioned his daughter. "Even if they don't lift a finger to help us, people will still talk. Especially if they try and help Harry again. In reality being neutral for the twins, means picking a side, just not fighting for that side. So why would they choose us?"

"I don't know," Hermione confessed, not actually having a good reason why the twins would choose them over their own family. "But I do know I have to give them a chance. At least let me warn them of the attack."

"Fine, you can warn them," Voldemort agreed with a sigh. "Let them know about the upcoming attack, and if the Order are expecting us, we know they can't be trusted. And you know what I do with people who betray me, don't you Hope? They wouldn't survive it."

"I know," Hermione replied, praying that she wasn't about to put the lives of Fred and George in danger by forewarning them of the attack on Diagon Alley.

Thanking her father for his permission to alert the twins to the danger they were in, Hermione headed off to send the pair an owl. Since the twins were currently trying to get back on good terms with the family, they'd decided it was best if Hermione didn't visit the shop, so they'd merely been writing to each other for the last couple of weeks. Hermione was just hoping that they'd been truthful with her, and keeping her away from their shop wasn't their way of distancing themselves from her as they prepared to truly unite with the Order.

"What do you think they'll say?" Hermione asked Draco as she sent his owl off with her hastily scrawled letter to the twins. "Do you think this will be the move that pushes them back to the Order? Maybe they'll decide the Order are the lesser of two evils."

"Maybe," Draco replied, leading Hermione over to his bed. "But we can't worry about it. What will be, will be. They'll make their choice, just as you made yours."

Knowing that Draco was right, and there was nothing she could do about what decision the twins made, Hermione allowed herself to be distracted by her boyfriend. However, their fun was disturbed half an hour later when Draco's owl returned, with a message from the Weasley twins tied to his leg.

"Dammit, I didn't expect them to reply so fast," Draco grouched as Hermione quickly straightened her clothes and rushed off to grab the response.

"What's this?" Hermione muttered as a thick gold bangle fell out of the envelope and onto the bed. "A port key," she gasped, reading the short note Fred and George had sent her.

"A port key?" Draco queried.

"It's set to activate at six this evening," Hermione explained. "The twins want to talk to me in person. They said I could bring you with me, and the port key will take us directly into their flat."

"Shouldn't we consult your father about this?" Draco checked.

"No, he might try and stop me," Hermione said with a shake of her head.

"Because it might be a trap," Draco argued. "I know you want to have faith in the twins, but they might be back in sync with the rest of their family. This might be a ploy to get hold of you as well as Harry."

"It's a risk I'm willing to take," Hermione said determinedly. "I'm doing this, Draco. If you want to come with me, send an elf to let the adults know we're going to see Blaise or something. If you don't want to come, all you have to do is keep quiet, and I'll pretend I'm ill and having an early night."

"I am not letting you go on your own," Draco insisted as he summoned one of the elves and asked them to pass a message onto the adults, letting them know Blaise had invited them over for dinner and they would be leaving shortly and would be back later.

"Thank you," Hermione said, giving her boyfriend a kiss as the house elf headed off to pass on their message.

When the house elf returned, he confirmed he had passed on the message and had a message from the adults wishing them a fun evening and warning them not to get into any trouble and to be careful. Promising to be careful, Draco sent the house elf back to it's chores and got ready for his impromptu trip with Hermione, all the while hoping that he hadn't made a huge mistake.

Come six o'clock, Hermione and Draco were holding onto the gold bracelet the twins had sent, and at the allotted time, it began to shimmer and whisked the pair away from the safety of Draco's bedroom. The pair landed in the middle of a small but cosy living area, with the twins sitting on a nearby sofa, beaming widely. Jumping up both twins embraced Hermione, and as she hugged them back, she knew she hadn't made a mistake. She'd done the right thing in trusting the twins.

"Sorry for the cloak and dagger move, but we were actually planning on asking you to come and visit us anyway," Fred said. "We think we have a plan to help Harry escape."

"Really, what?" Hermione demanded excitedly.

"Let's get some drinks first," George said with a chuckle. "Is butter-beer fine with everyone?"

When no-one objected to the sweet drink, George grabbed four chilled bottles from the fridge and handed them around as Fred made Hermione and Draco sit down. With the twins already on the sofa, Draco settled in the remaining armchair and pulled Hermione down onto his lap. As his arm wrapped around her waist, Hermione knew the move wasn't just about the lack of seats in the twins small flat. She knew Draco would only feel comfortable given their close proximity, and the fact he could whisk her away in a flash if anything untoward happened.

"Before we tell you our plan, how about you fill us in in yours," Fred suggested. "I have to say, we've been a bit baffled these last few weeks. Surely you knew the Order would make sure fake Harry turned up at these attacks."

"Yeah, and it's garnering the Order a lot more support," George added. "We might still be slight outcasts, but we can sense the change whenever we're there visiting."

"That's the idea," Hermione replied with a sweet smile. "We want the Order to show off the fact they've got Harry back with them. Then when we take Harry out, it'll look as though they've lost their hero."

"And all the support will leave them again," Fred remarked.

"Unless they chose to produce the real Harry," George said cautiously.

"They could do," Hermione agreed with a shrug. "But then they would have to explain that someone else had been fighting posing as him."

"Which again would lose them support," Fred said. "Very sneaky."

"We think so," Hermione smirked. "But something tells me you two have something just as sneaky, if not sneakier, up your sleeves."

"We're so sneaky, we could have been Slytherins," George laughed.

"I'm not sure I'd go that far," Draco drawled with a roll of his eyes. Even though his arm was still wrapped around Hermione, he was less tense as he was confident the twins didn't meant to hurt her in anyway.

"At least hear our wicked plan before you dismiss us entirely," Fred begged with a fake pout.

"Sorry," Draco said, unable to stop himself from laughing at the duo's dramatics. "By all means, dazzle us with your cunning."

"As you know, we've been back in touch with the family, but we're not entirely trusted," George started. "We've seen Harry, but not to talk to. They're very good at keeping him out of the way when we're around. And we can only go if we're invited, or if we asked to see them."

"This isn't very cunning so far," Draco interrupted. "In fact it sounds as if you're in no position to help Harry."

"Be patient, young Draco," Fred tutted. "We do have a plan."

"Well that's good to know," Draco muttered sarcastically. "And I do with people would stop calling me young Draco. I'm not a child."

"Draco, behave," Hermione scolded, turning to glare at her boyfriend. "Sorry boys," she said to the twins as she turned back around with a smile. "Carry on."

"First, we don't want you to worry about the shop," Fred said. "In fact, cause as much damage as you want. It'll be the perfect prelude to getting us into Order Headquarters."

"Yeah, if our shop is ruined, we can go crying to our family," George added.

"I suppose once this is all over, I could arrange for an investor to help you rebuild," Hermione mused, her eyes flicking back towards Draco.

"Obviously that means me," Draco said with a roll of his eyes. "Fine, I will invest in the joke shop once this is all over."

"Thanks, you won't regret it," Fred said with a grin. "But that wasn't what we were angling at, you know."

"I know," Hermione said. "It was an offer that came from me. I want to let you know how much I appreciate what you're doing for us."

"Which they have yet to explain," Draco pointed out. "How does your shop being damaged help rescue Harry?"

"It doesn't," George admitted. "But it does get us into Order Headquarters. Secreted about our person will be a bottle of polyjuice potion, and before we leave, one of us will take a trip to the bathroom. We were thinking Harry would be waiting inside, where he can take the potion and leave as one of us."

"That is pretty ingenious," Hermione said with a thoughtful nod.

"It is," Draco conceded. "But not without it's problems. If you've barely seen Harry, how will he know to be waiting in the bathroom?"

"That is a bit of a sticking point," George admitted with a grimace. "We have to find a way to pass a message to him."

"We'll think of something," Fred said confidently.

"But what happens when the Order discover Harry has left?" Hermione asked. "What happens to whichever one of you is left behind?"

"We won't be hurt, Hermione," Fred reassured the clearly concerned young witch.

"How do you know?" Hermione whispered. "Just look what they did to me. Look what they're doing to Harry. Even if they don't hurt you, they might keep you there. I don't want either of you to become a prisoner, and I know Harry wouldn't want that either."

"We've been talking about this for ages, and we've decided on the plan," George said firmly. "We know there are risks involved, but we want to do it. We helped Harry escape before, and we're not going to sit back and let our hard work go to waste."

"We can't stop you, can we?" Hermione asked with a slight smile.

"No," Fred replied as he and George exchanged mischievous grins.

"Then I guess good luck is in order," Draco said, leaning past Hermione and offering the twins his hand to shake.

"Yes, good luck," Hermione said, getting up to hug the twins. "And thank you."

Vowing to keep in touch via owl, the twins let Hermione and Draco head home as they settled down to try and plan how to get a message to Harry. Once that was achieved, they were confident their plans would work. And then all they would have to decide was which twin would venture up to the bathroom and let Harry leave the Order as them, while they remained at headquarters to face the consequences of their actions.


	15. Chapter 15

Working together, it didn't take the twins long to work out a plan to get a message to Harry. Since talking to him in person was out, as they barely saw Harry, let alone got time alone with him, the obvious solution was to find a way to pass him a note. Not that it was going to be easy, but with a bit of cunning, the twins were positive they had come up with a pretty good plan.

After arranging to visit their parents and younger siblings, the twins focused on what to say in the note to Harry. If they were caught, they knew that no matter what they said in the note, the truth about their allegiances would come out and they would never get another chance to try and help Harry. However, they didn't want to reveal too much in the note, as if they were caught, it would be as though they were betraying the trust Hermione had shown them by warning them about the upcoming attack.

"How does this sound?" Fred asked, clearing his throat as he began to read the short note he and George had put together. "Harry, there will soon be a big Death Eater attack. We will be visiting shortly afterwards and when we do, you need to be hidden in the bathroom. This is your way to freedom, and we're honoured to help you, Fred and George."

"It doesn't reveal any details, but it does expose what we're doing," George said. "If anyone but Harry reads that note, we're done for. We'll never get back into Order Headquarters, and we'll lose our family forever."

"I think we both know we've already lost them, George," Fred said with a sigh. "Hermione and her father are not going to let what happened to her drop. And then there's the fact they've kidnapped, Harry. That's not to say I feel good about going behind their backs, but none of this would be happening if they were the decent people we thought they were."

"It certainly would have been better if they'd turned away from Dumbledore when he first came up with the plan to snatch Hermione as a child," George mused. "Any decent person certainly would have."

"It's no good thinking about what might have been," Fred said, steely determination in his voice. "This was the path our parents chose, and now they have to live with the consequences of their actions."

"But what about Ron and Ginny?" George asked. "They didn't make these choices."

"But they supported them," Fred protested. "Ron especially doesn't see how wrong Mum and Dad were in supporting a plan to kidnap Hermione. And I don't even want to think about what Mum was planning with Sirius. You're not getting cold feet, are you Georgie?" he asked his brother in concern.

"We're doing the right thing," George said quietly. "I just want to be sure we understand what this means. We might not be fighting with the dark, but we're pretty much pinning our colours on their mast."

"I can't believe we're doing this either, but doing nothing would be tantamount to supporting the Order, and I can't do that," Fred admitted. "I know Hermione's father is dark and quite possibly evil, but I can't help but think of what Harry said. I can't help but think our parents are partly responsible for the person he is today. If it wasn't for the Order, they might not even be a war now. His daughter might have been enough to keep the darkness from completely engulfing him."

"I guess we'll never know," George sighed. "And you're right, if we leave Harry with the Order, it's like we're supporting them. Let's give Harry back his freedom."

"Right, now we just need to decide whose going to try and get the message to him," Fred said.

"Flip you for it." Pulling a coin from his pocket, George flipped it up in the air.

"Heads," Fred called.

"Heads it is," George said, showing his twin the coin as it landed on his hand. "Good luck, Freddie."

"I don't need luck, just the sneaky skills I've been honing since childhood," Fred returned with a grin as together the twins checked they had everything and that Fred knew exactly how he was going to get their note to Harry.

Half an hour later they arrived at Order Headquarters, and as usual Harry was nowhere in sight. They knew from previous visits he would be up in his room, and they would be lucky to see him. However, they didn't need to see him to get their message to him, and in fact it would likely be better if they didn't see him.

"Why are you two still coming?" Ron asked belligerently as Remus and Sirius excused themselves so the Weasleys could have some time as a family.

"Ron, don't be so rude," Molly scolded. "Your brothers can come and see us anytime."

"But why now?" Ron asked suspiciously. "They've been ignoring us for months. And are you forgetting the role they played in helping Harry run the first time? They're likely going to try and help him again."

"We've never denied that we don't agree with the fact you've kidnapped Harry and are holding him against his will," Fred said sharply. "And we are still unhappy with everything that happened with both Hermione and Harry. But you could have been killed a few weeks ago, Ronald, and like it or not, we're still family."

"Of course we are," Molly said, shooting Ron a warning look to get him to be quiet.

"Family sticks together through thick and thin," Ron argued. "They don't dessert one another."

"We're back now, aren't we?" George shot back.

"Not properly," Ron sneered. "You still won't fight with us. There has been three attacks in the last few weeks, and still you won't support us."

"We will not fight against Hermione," Fred insisted. "Just like we will not fight against any of you. We are staying out of the fighting."

"Remaining neutral won't work forever," Ron predicted. "Sooner or later you'll have to chose sides, and I don't believe you'll choose the right one."

"I guess we'll find out if that ever happens," Fred said with a shrug, turning away from his brother and asking his sister how she was doing.

For nearly an hour, Fred and George endured an awkward conversation with their family. Since their estrangement, conversation didn't flow the way it used to, and it didn't help that Ron sat in he corner scowling at the twins. Eventually Fred decided it was time to put his plan into action so he and George could leave, so he got to his feet, making an excuse about needing the bathroom.

"Where are you going?" Ron demanded, jumping up and blocking Fred's exit from the kitchen.

"To use the bathroom," Fred answered. "Or would you rather I embarrassed myself?"

"I guess not," Ron grumbled. "But I'm coming with you. I don't trust you not to try and talk to Harry."

"Do what you want Ron," Fred huffed, barging past his little brother and subtly moving two items from his pockets and into his hands.

Ron was right behind him as he reached the bottom of the stairs, and moving slowly, Fred calculated when he would have to make his move. Several steps from the top of the staircase, Fred opened his hand and quietly dropped a small sticky ball onto the stair in front of him. Making sure not to step on the ball, he slowly carried on up the stairs, only to be disturbed moments later by the sound of Ron cursing.

"What's going on?" he asked, turning around on the stairs and resting one of his hands on floor, which was now visible at the side of the stairs. Out of his hand slipped the note he and George had written for Harry, and muttering a spell under his breath, he sent the note sliding along the floor and under Harry's bedroom door using wand-less magic.

"I'm stuck," Ron grumbled, his attention on his shoe that wouldn't leave the floor, rather than on his twin brother.

"Bugger," Fred said, making a show of patting down his pockets. "It's gone."

"What's gone?"

"My wad of super sticky stick anything adhesive," Fred replied.

"What the hell is super sticky stick anything adhesive?" Ron demanded angrily.

"It's one of our inventions," Fred replied with a shrug. "George and I use it to make sure posters and such we hang in the store don't fall down. It's super effective and lasts for two days without starting to lose its stick."

"Two days?" Ron screeched. "Are you saying I'm stuck here for two days?"

"Looks like it," Fred said, turning his back on his brother and climbing up the rest of the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Ron shouted.

"The bathroom," Fred replied, pointing at the door in front of him. "I'll be two minutes, Ron. There's no need to get your knickers in a twist, you can see I'm not up to anything."

Leaving Ron stuck on the stairs, cursing about his stuck shoe, Fred darted into the bathroom and shut the door before he started to laugh. Walking over to the sink, he carefully peeled off the light skin covering which had ensured that the glue ball hadn't stuck to his hand. Shoving the evidence into his pocket, he then flushed the toilet, washed his hands and returned to where his brother was still stuck.

"I know how you can free yourself without having to wait two days," he casually informed Ron as he passed him on the stairs.

"How?" Ron demanded in a low growl as his brother continued on his way, leaving him stranded.

"Take your shoe off," Fred called over his shoulder with a laugh.

By the time Ron had taken his shoe off, and returned to the ground floor, Fred and George were ready to go. Glaring hatefully at them, Ron stalked off into the living room and slammed the door behind him. Promising to send their mother some solution, which would unstick Ron's shoe from the middle of the stairs, Fred and George said their goodbyes and headed home.

"It's all up to Harry now," Fred said. "The note went under his door, so there's nothing more we can do."

"Except plan for the next stage," George said solemnly.

"You're right," Fred said with a nod. "Let's get planning."

* * *

Harry was alone in his room, trying to work out what his family were planning, when the note flew under his door. For the last couple of weeks, the Death Eaters had been attacking with regularity, and Sirius was enjoying goading him with stories of how his family thought he had abandoned him. Truthfully, Harry knew they would be thinking no such thing and were playing the Order, but he was pretending as though the news was starting to affect him, and he was letting more than Ginny see he was supposedly having doubts about the choices he'd made. However, he knew the Order were gaining extra support thanks to his apparent support, and he wasn't quite sure why his family were letting that happen. But he trusted them, and even though he didn't know the plan, he knew that they would have one and it would be a good one.

The sight of the note sliding under his door made Harry forget about trying to work out his family's plan. Jumping from the bed, he grabbed the note and as he did so, he heard voices from outside the room. Pressing his ear to the door, he easily picked up Ron's agitated voice, and he was pretty sure the other voice belonged to one of the twins.

Since their recent reconciliation with their family, Harry had been unsure what to make of the twins. He'd managed to give them a thumbs up sign the first time they'd seen him, just in case they were in contact with Hermione and could let her know that he was okay. But when they'd continued to visit, Harry wondered if the attack on The Burrow had been too much for them and if they had turned back to their family.

However, as he opened the note and read what the twins had written, all his doubts vanished. It seemed the twins had chosen a side, and it wasn't their families. They were visiting to give them access to him, and to help him escape.

Reading the note for a second and then third time, Harry was disappointed that there wasn't more details, but he understood why there wasn't. As it was, if the note had fallen into the wrong hands, the twins would have been exposed as traitors, and the Order would have been ready for an even larger Death Eater attack. Even though the note didn't say as much, Harry knew the attack was special, and he suspected it was a big part of whatever plan his family had made. Trusting them to know what they were doing, he then turned his attention to the request the twins had made of him to be hidden in the bathroom.

The twins hadn't gone into any details regarding their plan, which meant Harry had to try and put himself in their shoes. Luckily his time spent with Slytherins had awakened a devious side of his nature that he hadn't previously known had existed, and it didn't take him long to decide what he would do in their shoes. If he was in their position, and had given these instructions, he would be planning on using Polyjuice Potion.

Running over the idea, Harry could see the potential. However, he could also see the pitfalls, and the danger whichever twin he swapped places would be in when the deception was discovered.

"Unless I help them," he mused to himself as a plan formed in his head.

If the twins were planning on having him using Polyjuice Potion then he was going to enhance their plan and protect them. And if their plan was something different, he was going to have the Polyjuice Potion as a back-up. After all, the Order had a nice supply just sitting around which they were using to try and fool the dark and the general public.

"No-one will notice one missing bottle," Harry chuckled. "Well not until I've gone anyway."

Throwing himself back down on his bed, Harry made plans as to how he was going to steal a vial of Polyjuice Potion. Thankfully he was given quite a bit of leeway considering everyone thought he was trapped and useless. But he was more powerful than any of the Order imagined, and even if he had to use wand-less magic, he was going to get his hands on a vial of Polyjuice Potion. But he had to do it fast as the twins hadn't given him a time frame for this big attack. They just said it was soon, so Harry wanted to be prepared. His freedom was so close he could almost smell it, and he couldn't wait to be reunited with his family and back with the dark where he belonged.


	16. Chapter 16

At nearly two in the morning, Hermione knew she should be sleeping and ensuring she was fully rested for what lay ahead, but try as she might, she couldn't sleep. Instead, she was lying in Draco's bed, wide awake, while her boyfriend slumbered peacefully beside her. Although Hermione knew the reason she couldn't sleep was because of what would be happening in a few short hours.

After a couple of weeks of planning, the attack on Diagon Alley was ready to be put into action. The following day, Hermione would part of the attack which would hopefully lead to the death of the fake Harry, the Order produced at battles. And of course, if all that went to plan and the twins were able to implement their plan, then the real Harry might also be returning home. In less than twenty four hours, everything could have changed and once again Hermione could be reunited with her best friend.

Trying not to think too far ahead, Hermione returned her attention on running over the plan she and her father had come up with for dealing with the fake Harry. It would be her job to establish for sure that it wasn't the real Harry they were fighting, and once that was done, her father would step in and join the battle. As for who actually killed the imposter, that would all come down to who managed to get in the killer blow. If of course, Hermione was actually able to cast the killing curse.

"What if I'm too scared?" she whispered to herself.

"Too scared for what?" Draco asked, causing Hermione to jump slightly as she turned and found Draco was lying watching her intently.

"How long have you been awake?" Hermione hissed.

"Long enough to guess you haven't been asleep at all," Draco retorted. "What's wrong?"

"I can't stop thinking about tomorrow," Hermione admitted as she sat up and wrapped her arms around her knees. "What if I let father down?"

"Why would you let him down?" Draco asked, joining Hermione in sitting up, the moonlight illuminating the bed and allowing him to see the pensive look on his girlfriend's face. "You've never let him down before."

"But this is different," Hermione pointed out quietly. "This is my first chance to really prove myself. But what if I can't do it? What if I can talk the talk, but not walk the walk? What if I'm all talk, and I'm not cut out to be a dark witch?"

"You've wielded dark spells before," Draco countered.

"But never in the heat of battle," Hermione protested. "What if when it comes down to it, I freeze? What if there is no darkness in my soul?"

"I think the darkness has always been there," Draco admitted as he wrapped his arm around Hermione. "In all our lessons, you mastered virtually everything before me. You've never held back, and you've never been afraid to wield dark magic. Tomorrow will be no different."

"How can you be so sure?" Hermione asked. "What makes you think the darkness has always been in me?"

"Your choice to come to The Dark Lord for a start," Draco replied. "When you discovered the truth, and found out the danger you were in, you could have just ran. You're more than smart enough to have hidden from the Order, and your parents would have helped you. But right from the start, you chose to come to The Dark Lord, knowing that he would never let what had happened to you lie. You chose the darkness before you even met your father, Hermione."

"I've never thought if it like that before," Hermione conceded.

At the time, she'd convinced herself that running to Voldemort was her only option and the only way she would be safe, but now she could see that she'd had other options. Draco was right, and if she'd so chosen, she could have simply ran. Hiding in the muggle world would have helped her escape from the Order. But instead she'd ran to Voldemort, and as Draco said, ran into the darkness. Maybe he was right, and maybe she'd picked the darkness because it was already inside of her just waiting to get out.

"Or maybe what you're really worried about is that you'll be unable to use dark magic against someone who looks like Harry," Draco said. "Even once you know it's not him, it's not going to stop him looking like him. It's still going to be as thought you're fighting Harry."

"Maybe you've got a point about that as well," Hermione conceded with a small smile. "I know we won't be doing anything until I'm sure it's not our Harry we're dealing with, but I'm still worried about what it will be like to fight him and maybe even throw the killing curse at him. Will I let my feelings for him get in the way?"

"That is why you're father will also be there," Draco reminded her. "Even if you can't strike the final blow, he will be able to. This time tomorrow, the Order will have lost their fake Harry. And with any luck, the real one will soon be back with us."

"I hope so," Hermione said, stifling a sudden yawn.

"I think it's time to stop talking, and for you to get some sleep," Draco suggested, lying back down and pulling Hermione with him. "And stop fighting it. Just relax and get some sleep, Hermione."

With Draco's arms around her, Hermione did manage to drift off to sleep. And even though she was still up at the crack of dawn, she felt refreshed and ready for the day ahead. Her middle of the night talk with Draco had done wonders for her, and even though she still harboured doubts about her ability to take out the Harry imposter, she no longer worried about her darkness. In fact she was looking forward to embracing the darker side of her nature and revelling in the chaos the Death Eaters were going to cause.

* * *

At precisely three o'clock in the afternoon, a small explosion on the steps of Gringotts marked the beginning of the largest Death Eater attack the country had seen in decades. Within minutes the street was swamped with figures in black, and dark curses and spells flew in every direction. While a lot of people ran, plenty more stayed to fight and to protect their property and livelihoods.

While Draco and his friends were present at the battle, they all wore the full Death Eater garb, and were unidentifiable in the melee. As usual Voldemort himself was without robes and a mask, as was Hermione. Her father had asked if she wished to dress like the others, but Hermione wanted to stand out. She wanted the world to know who the Harry imposter was fighting when he turned up.

Although Hermione didn't have to wait long for the Order to arrive. With such a large scale attack, it hadn't taken long for word to spread and the first responders from the Order arrived within ten minutes of the attack beginning. From what Hermione could see, Harry wasn't among the first responders, but she was busy enjoying herself and couldn't check out every new arrival. However, it didn't take her long before she spotted Harry fighting with a couple of masked Death Eaters.

For a while, Hermione kept half an eye on Harry, and even without interacting with him, she knew it wasn't her Harry. Her Harry had been taught to fight by her father, Lucius and Severus, and therefore knew how to handle himself. While the Harry she was watching could hold his own, but seemed incapable of launching any sort of attack of his own. His every move was defensive and Hermione knew that Harry had been taught the same as her, that the best line of defence was attack. Clearly whoever was impersonating Harry at this stage of the battle were more concerned with using spells that weren't considered dark than doing everything in their power to survive. Maybe it would change over the course of the attack as things escalated, but for now fake Harry just seemed happy to defend himself and ward off his attackers without causing too much damage to his opponents.

"Loser," Hermione muttered, spinning away from Harry and launching herself over some falling rubble to join Bellatrix, whose mask had vanished and whose robe hood had fallen down revealing her identity.

"Having fun?" Bellatrix asked with a cackle as she sent a spell flying into a window above them, causing glass to rain down on the cobbled street.

"I am," Hermione confirmed with a grin. "Are you?"

"I always have fun," Bellatrix trilled as she skipped on down the road and engaged her niece, Nymphadora Tonks, in battle.

Leaving Bellatrix to have fun with Tonks, Hermione moved through the crowds, throwing the odd hex as she did so. Spotting Ron not too far from the twins joke shop, she noted that her boyfriend had also lost his mask and removed his hood as he battled the red-headed wizard. Grabbing Draco's eye, she blew him a kiss before turning her attention back to finding Harry. In the chaos it wasn't easy to do, and Hermione ended up having to fight her way past a few people she recognised as working in Diagon Alley.

Finally, after knocking a witch who worked for Madam Malkin into a stack of rubble, Hermione spotted Harry once again. He was now at the opposite end of the street to where she'd last seen him, and since Remus Lupin was fighting nearby, she was guessing that it was Sirius who was currently impersonating his godson. As Hermione approached the battling Harry, she saw that his left arm was hanging awkwardly and that if he wasn't careful, he was going to lose ground to the Death Eater he was duelling. With a smirk, she flicked a spell at the Death Eater, causing him to lose his footing and to go tumbling over a broken piece of wall.

At his rescue, Harry turned around with a grateful smile on his lips, but the smile faded when he realised his saviour was Hermione. Chuckling to herself at his reaction, Hermione approached Harry and offered to fix his arm.

"And why would you want to do that?" Harry asked, shielding his clearly broken arm from her.

"The same reason, I just saved your life," Hermione replied smoothly. "I love you, Harry."

"Well, I don't love you," Harry spat back hatefully. "I despise you. You make my skin crawl. I want nothing more than to see you and your rotten father get what you deserve."

"This isn't you talking, Harry," Hermione said gently, knowing for sure that she wasn't dealing with the real Harry, but wanting to be absolutely certain. "They're making you say this."

"You think they've got me under the Imperius curse?" Harry laughed.

"Why else would you be here fighting and saying these things?" Hermione countered with a shrug. "I know it's not how you really feel."

"It is how I really feel," Harry spat, advancing on Hermione so that they were standing toe to toe. "I hate you, Hermione."

"I don't hate you," Hermione whispered, reaching out and laying a gentle hand on Harry's cheek. "I love you. I always will."

"I don't believe you," Harry snarled, batting her hand away from his skin. "You made your choice, Hermione. You chose to join that monster you call father."

"So I don't mean anything to you?" Hermione asked, acting as though she was on the verge of tears. "Everything we've shared, means nothing to you?"

"You mean nothing to me," Harry confirmed.

"So it's over?" Hermione asked in a small voice. "There's no chance I can get you back? There's no chance you can ever love me again?"

"I've never loved you," Harry snarled. "I was just too blind to see what you truly are."

"And what is that?" Hermione questioned.

"A monster," Harry spat. "Just like your father. I am going to take him down, Hermione. And you with him."

"In that case, I can't protect you any more," Hermione whispered. "I'm sorry Harry, but this is it."

"What do you mean, you can't protect me?" Harry asked, his face a mask of bewilderment at Hermione's statement. "How have you been protecting me?"

"How else do you think you survived these last few weeks?" Hermione asked with a bitter laugh. "After that first time you turned up at The Burrow, father wanted to kill you. He knew then you were a traitor, but I wouldn't have it. I made him promise not to kill you. But if I've really lost you, then why bother? I might as well save myself the heartache and say goodbye to you now. So goodbye, Harry. Believe it or not, I do love you, and I wish things hadn't ended this way."

While the fake Harry was still clearly stunned by her words, Hermione raised her wand and blasted him off his feet. In all fairness, he was soon back on his feet and returning fire with more finesse than he had being doing earlier, which confirmed to Hermione that the imposter she was fighting was not the same one she'd seen before. Although only time would tell if this was the imposter who ended up dead, or if another switch would be made and it was someone else who ended up on the receiving end of the killing curse.

For quite a while, Hermione battled the imposter, and was aware that their fight was gathering quite the crowd of onlookers. However, there was no sign of her father, and she knew the killing blow wouldn't be struck until her father was by her side. And then suddenly she caught sight of her father, doing battle with Dumbledore further down the street. Just as she spotted them, Dumbledore hit Voldemort in the chest with a spell that sent him stumbling backwards and without thinking, Hermione turned her back on Harry and made to move towards her father.

"Bitch," Harry cried behind her, and before Hermione could turn back around she felt a spell crash into her back.

The spell sent her tumbling head over heels down a pile of rubble, and she could feel a deep gash in her back, gushing with blood. Luckily she wasn't knocked out, and as she was catching her breath, a pair of strong hands, belonging to a robed Death Eater, helped haul her to her feet.

"Are you okay?" Severus's voice asked from behind the mask.

"I will be," Hermione replied, turning to look back towards the top of the rubble pile and finding no sign of Harry. "He's gone."

"Not far," Severus said, gesturing to where Harry was now standing with Sirius, their heads close together.

"They've swapped again," Hermione muttered. "I'm sure I've just been fighting Sirius."

"I don't suppose it matters who you're actually fighting," Severus remarked. "But we have to be careful he doesn't leave for good. Go and get your father, I'll keep Potter, or whoever the hell he is, occupied."

"Thanks," Hermione called as she turned and ran towards where her father was still battling with Dumbledore.

The second Voldemort spotted Hermione, he gave Dumbledore a smirk and vanished into thin air. Seconds later, he landed at Hermione's side, and whisking his daughter into his arms, he apparated them to the opposite end of the street. Of course Dumbledore could still get to them, but Voldemort issued orders to his Death Eaters to keep the headmaster away from himself and his daughter.

"The imposter?" Voldemort asked, quickly spotting one of his Death Eaters battling a tired looking Harry.

"Definitely not Harry," Hermione confirmed.

"That I can see," Voldemort muttered, shaking his head at the lack of bite the fake imposter was putting into his spells. It was as though he'd never cast a spell in anger before, and Voldemort knew that wasn't Harry. The Harry he had taught to fight had spirit and would be putting up a much better show.

"How do you want to do this?" Hermione asked.

"Let's wing it," Voldemort replied with a grin. "Are you ready, Hope?"

"I've never been more ready for anything in my life," Hermione replied, feeling confident that she could handle what was to come, and was more than ready to embrace her inner darkness.

Side by side father and daughter launched into action, usurping Severus from his position battling the fake Harry. Almost instantly the imposter seemed to sense he was in trouble, but with two of them to contend with, not to mention Severus who was still hanging around, there was no way for him to escape. Not unless he apparated away, and even though he wasn't the real Harry and therefore the Dark Mark wasn't the real one, there was still enough magic in the fake mark for Voldemort to prevent that from happening.

"Trusting you was the worst thing I ever did," Voldemort bellowed to the fake Harry, well aware that they were drawing a crowd and a number of his Death Eaters were acting as a barrier to stop other Order members from joining the fray. "I should have killed you the second I had you in my grasp. But no, I believed you when you swore you were loyal to Hope."

"And now you've betrayed me," Hermione added in a menacing hiss.

"And for that alone, I should kill you," Voldemort hissed. "Did you honestly think I would let you get away with breaking my daughter's heart?"

As she and her father continued to battle with Harry, Hermione scanned the crowds and smirked when she spotted a bloodied Ron being virtually held up by Arthur. And when she spotted a frantic looking Dumbledore trying to fight his way through the Death Eaters, she knew it was time.

"Together," she called to her father.

"With pleasure," Voldemort called back, grinning at his daughter as they both raised their wands and advanced on the fake Harry, who was now on the floor struggling to find his feet after being hit by so many curses in such a small period of time.

"Avada Kedavra!"

At exactly the same time, two jets of green light hit Harry in the chest and he dropped down onto the floor, unmoving. As his body hit the floor, an eerie silence hung over Diagon Alley and for a minute there was nothing to hear. But then shocked cries began to penetrate the air, followed by a loud, victorious cackle by Voldemort. Raising his wand, he cast the Dark Mark into the sky and before it had even fully formed he and his Death Eaters left, leaving behind the dead body of Harry Potter and the shattered Order who had just lost their saviour.


	17. Chapter 17

It took Harry less than forty eight hours after receiving the note from the twins to get his hand on a vial of Polyjuice Potion. It had been easy for him to track down the vials, locked in a drawer in Sirius's bedroom. And thanks to the fact he'd been working on his wand-less magic with his family, he was able to unlock the drawer and remove a vial without anyone realising he'd even been there. The Order may have thought taking his wand had stifled his magic, but they were wrong and they had underestimated Harry and his magical abilities.

With the vial in his possession, all Harry had to then do was sit back and wait for the time to use it. Following the twins visit, the Death Eater attacks seemed to die down, but Harry knew they were just gearing up for the big one. However, the Order took the respite to mean they were getting to the dark, and Sirius especially had taken to crowing over how hard Hermione seemed to be taking Harry's deflection.

"Do you really think the dark are backing off?" Ginny asked him one afternoon as she joined him in the front room.

"Maybe," Harry replied with a shrug. "Maybe they realise they're not getting me back."

"So you've accepted that you're here to stay?" Ginny asked, a bright smile lighting up her face at the admission.

"I guess I am," Harry admitted, smiling back at Ginny and playing along with the act he was putting on. "Not that I'm sure I'm too welcome. Ron will never forgive me, and I think even Sirius is losing patience with me. I'm worried I've done too much damage, Ginny. I'm worried that I've burnt my bridges with the Order."

"It's never too late, Harry," Ginny said, sliding closer to Harry and taking hold of his hands. "The important thing is that you're admitting that you were wrong, and that you want to be here."

"But I'm not sure I'm ready to fight," Harry confessed in a whisper, drawing Ginny closer to him. "I don't think I'm strong enough to face her yet."

"No-one is asking you to," Ginny said gently. "You can join the fight when the time is right. But for now, Sirius and Lupin are taking care of it."

"I guess," Harry replied. "Thanks Ginny, you're a real friend."

"I try," Ginny replied with a smile as she moved even closer to Harry, their lips only inches apart.

Just as Ginny pressed her lips against his, and Harry had to decide how to react, Ron burst into the room, causing Ginny to pull hastily away. However, she wasn't fast enough to stop Ron from seeing what was going on, and as expected, his reaction was explosive. As Harry watched Ron rant and rave at Ginny, he couldn't help but smirk inwardly at the trouble he was causing. If he was sticking around much longer, it might have been fun to lure Ginny into truly falling for him and causing even more problems. However, he knew he didn't have time for such a long term plan as he was expecting action any day now.

Although action came sooner than he imagined as Ron was still ranting at Ginny when shouts and cries began to echo through the house. Before Harry could make out what was being said, Sirius burst into the room.

"It's Diagon Alley," he announced breathlessly. "It's a major attack."

"We are not finished here," Ron warned his sister as he stalked off to join the rest of the Order in rushing to the aid of those who were stuck in Diagon Alley.

"Arsehole," Ginny muttered as she followed after her brother.

Harry knew Ginny had gone to beg her parents to allow her to join them, but as expected they said no and she returned to him with a defeated look on her face.

"It'll be okay, Ginny," Harry said soothingly as the sounds of hurried apparition faded and they were left alone in the house.

"I hope so," Ginny sighed. "The twins will be at work."

"The twins will be just fine," Harry promised. "They're tough nuts."

"I've just got a bad feeling about this," Ginny admitted, leaning into Harry and taking comfort from his embrace.

Wanting to be around when people started to return, Harry remained in the front room, holding Ginny and comforting her. As time ticked past, and one hour turned to two and two morphed into three, his excitement began to rise. Surely the longer the Order were away, the more damage his family was doing. Other attacks had been over within a couple of hours, but this one seemed to be taking longer.

Finally, going on for four hours after word had first arrived about the attack, the first sounds of apparition echoed in the hallway. Jumping to her feet, Ginny rushed out into the hallway and Harry had to hide his smirk as she screamed at something. Seconds later she rushed back into the room, followed by Arthur, who was virtually carrying Ron, whose entire left side of his head was covered in blood.

"What happened?" Harry asked as Arthur laid his son down on the sofa.

"Malfoy," Ron spat, glaring hatefully at Harry. "The bastard blew my ear off."

Harry didn't have time to react as other people started to arrive back, including Molly who virtually pushed him over to get to Ron's side. Noting that almost everyone who returned was looking slightly worse for wear and were wearing similar shocked expressions, Harry could only gleam that the day had been a big victory for the dark.

"You," a voice suddenly snarled and Harry turned in time to see his godfather stalking towards him, a murderous look on his face. "This is all your fault, you little shit," he yelled, grabbing Harry by the throat and pinning him to the wall.

"Sirius," Dumbledore called quietly as he entered the room beside a sobbing Tonks, who was holding her right arm awkwardly and looked as though she was about to pass out.

"Don't," Sirius shot back at Dumbledore, his attention never leaving Harry as he shook him, causing his head to bang off the wall. "You're the reason he's dead," he snarled at Harry.

"Who?" Harry choked out, slightly worried that Sirius might actually hurt him in the state he was in.

"Remus," Sirius snarled, choking back a sob. "He died for you. He died because of you. He said he should have killed you when you first went to him, and you know what, Harry, I wish he had done. I wish he'd killed you last year, and then Remus would still be with us."

"You don't mean that Sirius," Dumbledore said gently, crossing the room and prising Sirius away from Harry.

"Don't I?" Sirius spat, still glaring at Harry. "Remus was worth ten of that little bastard. You know, James would be turning in his grave if he knew how his son had turned out."

"And whose fault is that?" Harry shot back, not caring about the act he'd been perfecting as soon he would be gone. "You want to know what pushed me to The Dark Lord, Sirius, then take a look in the mirror. Your actions motivated my choices. If anyone is to blame for this, it's you and Molly."

"You stupid little shit," Sirius snarled. "Even now you're defending him. Even when he's abandoned you. Do you want to know what happened to Remus? He was killed, while looking like you. And do you want to know who did it? Your precious Dark Lord and his demon daughter. That's right Harry, they thought they were killing you. Right now Hermione and her father are somewhere celebrating the fact they've killed Harry Potter."

As everything clicked into place in his mind, Harry plastered a look of total shock on his face as inside he danced a jig. He had wondered about the plan his family had as they let the Order flaunt his presence, and now he could see it, and it was a genius one. They'd supposedly killed him, leaving the Order in a bind. Either the Order accepted what had happened and lost the support of people who were only standing with them when they thought they had Harry onside, or they admitted that the real Harry hadn't been killed and expose themselves for the liars they were, which would also likely lose them their newly gained support.

"You're lying," Harry finally whispered, well aware that every eye was on him and his reaction to the news.

"It's not a lie, Harry," Dumbledore said sadly. "Remus was killed while impersonating you. He was fighting both Hermione and her father, and they both threw the killing curse together. I don't know which one actually killed him, but it doesn't matter. The intent came from them both. They want you dead, Harry."

"Looks like they got their wish," Harry muttered, pushing past Sirius and stumbling out of the room.

Running up the stairs, he flew into his bedroom and slammed the door behind him. Only once he was alone did he allow a wide smirk to grace his features and he did a small victory dance as he mentally congratulated his family. They'd done their part, now it was down to him and the twins to do theirs and he would be back home where he belonged.

* * *

Given that it was early evening before the attack on Diagon Alley was over and the Order returned to Headquarters, Harry wasn't sure if the twins would put in an appearance that day. The first couple of hours following their return, there was a lot of coming and going, but Harry didn't see or hear the twins. But then eventually it settled down and aside from Sirius and the Weasleys, the only person still at Grimmauld Place was Dumbledore.

Not expecting to see that twins that day, Harry was just about to head off to bed when he heard someone arrive. Since everyone was downstairs, it was easy to hover at the top of the stairs to find out who the new arrival was, and when he heard the voices of the twins, he rushed back to his room to make sure everything was in place and to grab his vial of Polyjuice Potion. Stuffing a pillow down into his bed, he flicked off the light and closing the door to his bedroom, he crept across the landing and sneaked into the bathroom, hiding himself behind the shower curtain.

Harry must have been hiding for almost an hour before he heard feet on the stairs. As the door to the bathroom opened, he held his breath, praying that it was one of the twins entering and it wasn't someone else wanting to use the bathroom.

"Harry," a quiet voice called once the bathroom door was firmly shut.

"Hi," Harry greeted with a relieved breath as he threw back the curtain and grinned at one of the twins.

"George," George supplied, guessing that Harry wasn't sure which twin he was.

"Good to see you, George," Harry said. "Are you and Fred both okay?"

"Yeah, we ran as soon as the action began," George replied. "The shops a bit of a mess, but Hermione has promised to help with that once things have calmed down."

"I'm sure like me, she really appreciates the risk you and Fred are taking to help me," Harry said.

"We think it's worth it," George replied with a shrug. "So are you ready to get on? I've got some Polyjuice Potion here, and the idea is that we switch places and you walk out of here with Fred."

"I guessed that would be it," Harry said. "But I want to make a few additions of my own. I want to make it look as though you had nothing to do with this."

"How do we do that?" George asked with a frown. "Everyone is going to know, I helped you escape."

"Not necessarily," Harry replied with a grin as he showed George his own vial of Polyjuice Potion. "I stole this from Sirius. And I'm also going to knock you out if you don't mind. When you come round, you can raise the alarm and tell people I knocked you out when you came up to use the bathroom. When they realise how I got away, they'll check their supply of Polyjuice Potion and realise a vial is missing."

"It could work," George conceded with a nod of his head.

"It's worth a try, if it keeps you and Fred out of trouble," Harry said. "Of course once you're away from here, it's up to you if the truth comes out. But if you want to stick to the story, your family will never find out the truth from me."

"Thanks Harry," George said with a smile. "Don't forget to take my wand."

"I'll leave it with Fred," Harry promised. "So, should we get on with it?"

"Just one thing," George said. "How are you going to knock me out without magic?"

"Who says I'm without magic?" Harry asked with a devious grin. "They may have taken my wand, but not my magic itself. I'm good enough to stun you without a wand."

"Impressive," George said, removing his own wand from his pocket and placing it beside the sink, along with the vial of Polyjuice Potion he'd brought with him, complete with his own hairs. "Let's go. Try not to hurt me, but it would maybe be good if you could give me a bump."

"I'll try my best," Harry said with a slight chuckle, before he focused himself and carefully stunned George using wand-less magic.

George went down like a sack of potatoes as the spell froze him in place and rendered his body unable to support itself. Harry winced as his friend hit the floor, and he hoped the way his head hit the bath on the way down that it had left a bump. Quickly checking that George was okay, and would wake up soon enough, Harry quickly downed the vial potion and altered his clothes so he looked like George. Silently thanking the unconscious redhead, he picked up his wand and departed the bathroom.

Trotting down the stairs, he found Fred waiting for him at the bottom, with Molly and Arthur hovering in the doorway of the front room, where it looked as though Ron was still lying on the sofa, only now he had a bandage over his head.

"Finally," Fred cried in exasperation. "I almost left without you."

"Sorry," Harry apologised.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay here tonight?" Molly offered. "I hate to think of you returning to your shop. It must be a right mess."

"Which is why we need to get back," Fred said.

"Yeah, we can't leave the place unsecured," Harry added.

"Be careful," Molly said, hugging both her boys and not noticing that one of them wasn't her real flesh and blood.

"See you later guys," Fred called into the front room to his brother and sister.

"Get some rest, Ron," Harry also called, smiling at Ginny as she appeared in the doorway.

And just like that, he walked straight out of Grimmauld Place with Fred and into the fresh air that had been denied him for the last couple of months. Freedom beckoned, and Harry couldn't hide his wide grin as he and Fred apparated away from Order headquarters and the people who had held him prisoner. Once again he was a free man, and he would soon be back in the bosom of his family.

* * *

**A/N – I just want to thank everyone for continuing to support and read this story. I just thought I would share the good news that today I finished the Epilogue for this story. So I can confirm it will have 24 chapters plus the epilogue, and the story will finish on the 17th of December. I hope you enjoy the rest of this story, and I hope you'll keep an eye out for my festive stories which will be debuting in December.**


	18. Chapter 18

When Harry landed in Diagon Alley, he took a moment to check that he was all in one piece. Given that he was using George's wand, the journey hadn't been the smoothest, but luckily he hadn't splinched himself. Satisfied that he'd survived the trip, Harry took the chance to take in his surroundings and he let out a low whistle at the devastation all around him.

The twins shop was missing its entire window, and the products were scatted all over the floor. Virtually opposite the shop stood Gringotts, which boasted a large hole in the roof, and had gaping holes in the wall where the windows had been shattered. Further down the street, Harry could see buildings which were half collapsed, and the entire street was covered in rubble.

"It's going to take months to get this place back up and running," Harry remarked. He knew there had been an attack on the street around New Year time, but he also knew it hadn't taken long for the street to have gotten back on its feet.

"That it is," Fred agreed with a sigh.

"And to think, it was all avoidable," Harry muttered with a shake of his head. "Even so, I can't help but feel responsible."

"You didn't participate in the attack," Fred said, leaving Harry to wonder if he was starting to regret helping him escape when he would be returning to the very people who had caused the destruction on the street.

"Maybe not," Harry replied with a shrug. "But I'm the reason it happened. If the Order hadn't have kidnapped me, there wouldn't have been any attacks."

"Surely they were always going to happen," Fred argued. "You-Know-Who would have still wanted to gain power, Harry."

"Which he could have managed without any major violence," Harry pointed out. "The Minister is sympathetic to our cause. The only fly in the ointment was Dumbledore and the Order, and they would have been dealt with more quietly."

"I suppose," Fred conceded. "But they still need to be dealt with, don't they?"

"They do," Harry agreed. "Are you worried about your family?"

"You know George and I can't condone what they've done, but they're still our family," Fred said with a sigh. "I know it might be asking too much, but we would appreciate it if you and Hermione could do your best to ensure no harm comes to them."

"I can't make any promises, but I can do my best," Harry promised.

"Thanks Harry," Fred said, flashing Harry a quick smile. "We best get on, before someone finds George and comes looking for you."

As he followed Fred into the shop, Harry quickly informed him of the changes to the plan. As he'd done with George, Harry also assured Fred that their role in his escape wouldn't be made public knowledge by him. As far as everyone would be concerned, he'd orchestrated his own escape and the twins were innocent victims of his scheme.

"Thanks Harry," Fred said. "I'm not sure everyone will buy it, but thanks for trying to protect us."

"As long as it helps George get away from the Order, it was worth it," Harry said. "And speaking of getting away, I should be going. I promised George I would leave his wand, so there you are."

Handing over George's wand to his twin brother, Harry then turned his attention to how he was going to get back to his family. Without a wand apparition was out of the question, and unless a floo connection was established with somewhere public, he wouldn't be able to travel by floo. Although he didn't really want to venture anywhere too public as for the time being the world thought he was dead, and he didn't have more polyjuice potion to keep looking like George.

"Before you go, I do have something for you," Fred said, squeezing his way behind the counter and pulling a package from the drawer under the counter. "This came by owl a few days ago. It's from Hermione, and she asked us to give it to you once you were free of the Order."

Tearing at the package, Harry grinned as he found himself in possession of a brand new wand. Length wise it was the same as his wand, and the wood also looked to be the same. The only thing different would be the core. However, the wand was as close to his own as was possible to get, and Harry could only hope that it worked for him. Or at least it worked well enough to get him home.

"She thinks of everything, doesn't she," Fred chuckled, amazed that Hermione had the presence of mind to provide Harry with a way home.

"She does," Harry replied, grinning proudly at how forward thinking Hermione was. "Anyway, I should be going. Good luck, Fred, and thanks again."

"You're welcome, Harry," Fred said, shaking hands with the wizard who still looked like his twin brother. "And remember to keep in touch. We are still friends, after all."

Thanking Fred for all he and George had done for him, Harry said his goodbyes and returned to the street where he took one last look around before raising his wand and vanishing with a pop, thoughts of Malfoy Manor in his head. When he landed, Harry felt euphoric at the sight of Malfoy Manor that loomed in front of him. Finally, he was home.

As he started towards the house, Harry knew that everyone inside the manor would be aware of his arrival, and sure enough before he'd reached the front steps, the doors flew open and Hermione dashed out. Draco was right behind Hermione, and slightly behind them was Voldemort, Lucius, Narcissa and Severus. Harry stopped and grinned at the sight of his family, just waiting for them to greet him. For a second it looked as though Hermione was going to do just that, but Draco put a restraining hand on her arm and Voldemort muttered something to her that caused her to roll her eyes, but nod her head as well.

"Hello," Harry called.

"Hello," Hermione replied, stepping forward and moving down a couple of steps.

"This is not the greeting I was expecting," Harry remarked. "Aren't you glad to see me?"

"We're not exactly seeing you, are we," Hermione countered with an arched eyebrow.

"No, I guess not," Harry laughed. He'd almost forgotten that he still looked like George and would do for another forty minutes or so.

"And given the fact the last few times we've seen you, it hasn't been you, can you blame us for being wary?" Hermione questioned.

"I guess not," Harry conceded, climbing a few steps so he was only a few metres away from his best friend. "But it is me. Surely the fact I could apparate onto the property should prove that."

"Let's just call us extra cautious today," Voldemort said, moving to stand beside his daughter. "Prove to us you are who we're expecting."

"I'm not sure how to prove that," Harry admitted with a shrug. "I could tell you how I chose Hermione over everyone else, and how I followed her to the other side of the world. I could tell how we lived in New Zealand for a year, and how we were home schooled and how we prepared for our return home. But all of that could have been forced out of me."

"True," Voldemort agreed with a nod. "I don't think it's very likely, but it could have happened."

"So all I can really do is ask you to have faith in me," Harry said. "Believe that it's me, and that I'm home. Believe that I've come home to my family. All I ever wanted was to have a family who loved me, and who would stick together, and thanks to Hermione, I now have one."

"It's him," Hermione said confidently as she grinned at Harry.

"I rather thought it was," Voldemort said with a shrug. "But we had to be sure."

"So you believe it's me and I'm home?" Harry checked.

"We'll know for sure when the Polyjuice Potion wears off, but I'm confident enough to allow you inside," Voldemort said.

"How kind of you," Harry muttered sarcastically.

He heard Voldemort chuckle at his response, but he was distracted by Hermione running down the few steps that separated them and throwing herself into his arms. Wrapping his arms around Hermione, he breathed in her familiar scent and felt a strong wave of emotion at being reunited with his family.

"I've missed you so much," he whispered to Hermione.

"Me too," Hermione replied. "I can't wait to see you properly," she added, frowning slightly as she pulled back and looked at her best friend. "How long will it be?"

"About half an hour," Harry admitted. "We don't have to stand outside until then, do we?"

"No we do not," Narcissa said. "Get inside, Harry. I don't suppose you've had any dinner. I'll get the elves to make you something."

Moving up the steps, with Hermione right by his side, Harry was greeted by everyone and ushered into the manor. Doing as she promised, Narcissa called for the elves and ordered food for Harry, but in the meantime everyone gathered in the living room. As they waited for the Polyjuice Potion to wear off, Harry answered questions about his time in captivity and he thoroughly enjoyed filling his family in on the trouble he'd caused, and what he could have done had he been with the Order for much longer.

"Sorry to disturb your fun," Voldemort chuckled when Harry mentioned that if he'd been there much longer he would have had Ginny falling head over heels for him.

"I'd rather be here," Harry replied with a grin.

"And we'd much rather you were here," Hermione said, unable to take the grin off her face as she was so happy to be reunited with Harry.

"Yes, we would," Narcissa agreed with a smile. "The place just hasn't been the same without you."

"Have you all missed me?" Harry asked with a cheeky grin.

"Can't say I've noticed your absence," Draco replied with a casual shrug.

"Ignore him, he's missed you," Hermione assured her friend.

"We all have," Lucius admitted. "As you said Harry, you're family and for the last few months, our family has been incomplete."

"Well, I'm back now," Harry announced gleefully. "And the fun can begin."

"Now, now, Harry, you have to be patient," Voldemort chuckled. "Before we do anything, I want to see how the Order are going to react to your death."

"That's fine," Harry said with a nod. "But I do have one request. I appreciate the wand you got for me, but it's not my wand."

"Say no more," Voldemort said with an understanding nod. "We will get your wand back, Harry."

Feeling reassured that sooner rather than later he would have his wand back in his possession, Harry relaxed back into being with his family. As they were talking, he felt the Polyjuice Potion wear off, and once he was back to himself, Hermione gave him another hug and everyone visibly relaxed.

"Now are we sure this is our Harry?" Draco teased. "It's not an imposter using Polyjuice Potion."

"Double Polyjuice Potion, is that even possible?" Harry laughed.

"I think not," Severus drawled. "If we were dealing with an imposter, the Polyjuice Potion he'd taken to pose as Harry would have worn off before the second dose he'd taken to impersonate one of the twins. So I think it's safe to say, this time we're dealing with the real Harry Potter."

As Severus finished talking, Harry and Draco shared a look and burst out laughing. In the past they'd often joked about how serious Severus could be, and it felt good to once again be back together so they could have a laugh. In fact, it was good for Harry to be back with his family, and this time he wasn't planning on being separated from them again. This time he would be with them as they fought the Order, and he would be by The Dark Lord's side as he achieved his dream of ruling the Wizarding World.


	19. Chapter 19

While Harry was settling back in with his family, his disappearance was only just being discovered by the Order. When George first came around on the bathroom floor, he had to take a few minutes to pull himself together and to be able to get to his feet. Once he was back on his feet, he then delayed leaving the bathroom to give Harry as much time as possible to get away from Diagon Alley. However, he couldn't stay hidden for too long without it looking too suspicious, so hoping that he'd given Harry enough of a head start, he finally left the bathroom.

There was no sign of anyone when he first left the bathroom, but George slowly made his way downstairs, making sure to hold onto the bannister as Harry had done a good job of knocking him out and he was still feeling slightly light-headed. As he neared the bottom of the stairs, he could hear voices coming from the front room, where his family had been when he and Fred had first arrived. But before he could reach the ground floor, his mother emerged from the front room and let out a cry of surprise when she spotted him.

"What is going on?" she demanded.

"I was about to ask you that," George said. "I've just woken up on the bathroom floor."

"But you left here with Fred," Molly whispered, the colour draining from her face as the implications of her words hit her.

"What's going on?" Ron's voice called from the room behind Molly, just as Arthur appeared in the doorway.

"George?" he questioned with a frown.

"Sirius," Molly screeched at the top of her voice.

Hearing footsteps above him, George turned his head to find an annoyed looking Sirius peering over the bannister.

"What the hell is all the shouting about?" he demanded angrily.

"Is Harry in his room?" Molly asked.

"Where else would he be?" Sirius snorted. "He sloped off to his room hours ago."

"But less than half an hour ago, the twins left to go home, yet George has just emerged from the bathroom," Arthur called up to Sirius.

"Shit," Sirius swore as he turned around and vanished from sight.

George could hear Sirius crashing about above them, and it sounded as though he was searching more than just Harry's room. After a few minutes he reappeared at the top of the stairs and thundered down them.

"What happened?" he demanded of George.

"I don't know," George replied, rubbing at his head where he'd hit it off the bath. "I went to the bathroom, and what happened after that, I have no idea. But I woke up a few minutes ago on the bathroom floor."

"But we saw him leave with Fred," Molly whispered. "It wasn't George, was it?"

"No, it bloody well wasn't," Sirius spat. "Harry's gone, and a vial of Polyjuice Potion is missing. The little git has been planning this for ages. I thought he was accepting that Hermione and her bastard of a father didn't really care about him, but he's gone running back to them."

"If we're quick, we might catch him before he gets there," Arthur suggested. "He went with Fred, so he has to get away from him before he can get back to the dark."

"Let's go then," Sirius ordered, grabbing his jacket.

"What's going on out there?" Ron called again from the front room.

"I'll explain," Molly offered. "You three go and find Harry."

"Maybe George should stay here," Sirius suggested.

"Why?" George demanded. "You're not going to keep me prisoner, are you?"

"Of course not," Arthur assured his son.

"But you might know more than you're saying," Sirius said.

"Are you saying I helped Harry escape?" George questioned.

"It wouldn't be the first time," Sirius remarked with a shrug.

"Last time I wasn't knocked out and had my wand stolen," George retorted.

"Your wand is missing?" Arthur gasped.

"It's not in my pocket," George replied. "But does that really mater now? The longer you keep me here talking, the more time Harry has to get away."

"He's right," Arthur said to Sirius. "Let's just get to the shop, and then we can worry about what exactly happened."

"Fine," Sirius sighed. "But for the record, I'm not buying this. A vial of my Polyjuice Potion might be missing, but I'm not convinced Harry did this all on his own. I think he had help."

George met Sirius's accusing stare head on, but refused to back down and admit anything. With a frustrated sigh, Sirius turned and marched out of the front door. Leaving Molly to bring Ron and Ginny up to speed, and likely contact Dumbledore, Arthur and George followed after Sirius, and with Arthur taking the lead as George had no wand, they headed to Diagon Alley.

The trio landed outside of the joke shop, and George led the way inside and up to the flat he shared with his twin brother. They found Fred tidying up some damage which had been caused when their shop had been hit during the battle.

"You're back," he declared when he saw George, before frowning in confusion when he spotted his father and Sirius. "What's going on? Why are you two here?"

"All three of us have just came from Order headquarters," Arthur explained.

"How?" Fred asked, still frowning. "I don't get what's going on."

"I've just woke up with the Order," George explained to his twin brother. "I was knocked out in the bathroom."

"But you came home with me," Fred muttered. "Or someone did."

"Harry," Sirius spat. "Where is he now?"

"We'd no sooner come home than he said he had something to do and he went out," Fred admitted.

"And you didn't think that was odd?" Sirius demanded. "You didn't question where he was going?"

"Why would I?" Fred asked. "George and I are not joined at the hip, Sirius. We do have lives of our own, and our own secrets. I didn't ask where George was going, as I knew that if he'd wanted me to know, he would have told me."

"How long ago was this?" Arthur asked as Sirius swore colourfully under his breath.

"I don't know, maybe fifteen, twenty minutes ago," Fred answered with a shrug. "As I said, he left almost as soon as we got back."

"He's long gone by now," Sirius snorted. "Well done boys, you've lost us Harry for the second time."

"Well maybe if you didn't keep people prisoner they wouldn't feel the need to escape," George snorted as he sat down.

"You two were involved in this, I know you were," Sirius spat. "And if I can prove it, you will both regret it."

Giving the twins a disgusted glare, which told them exactly what Sirius thought of them, he turned and stormed from the flat. Shaking his head, Arthur turned to follow him, before pausing in the doorway and looking back at his sons.

"Were you involved?" he asked quietly. "Did you help Harry escape?"

"The fact you used the word escape, implies you also thought he had something to get away from," Fred said. "You don't escape from a good situation, you escape from a bad one."

"That didn't answer my question," Arthur said.

"I think you know the answer," George said. "And I think that deep down you know this is for the best. It wasn't right keeping Harry against his will."

"There will be consequences," Arthur warned. "And I'm not just talking about the Order. I hope the pair of you haven't made a huge mistake."

Leaving the twins hoping that they hadn't made a mistake in helping Harry escape, Arthur headed down to join Sirius in searching for Harry. Of course, he was long gone and the pair found no sign of him before they had to return to the Order and confirm that Harry was once again gone, and was more than likely back with the dark and ready to stand against them.

* * *

The morning after Harry's escape, Dumbledore arrived at Order Headquarters ready to hold a meeting to discuss recent events. Within half an hour of Dumbledore arriving, the majority of the Order had also arrived and the meeting got underway.

"First things first," Dumbledore began. "Harry is gone. We can't track him, but I think we can all agree that he's back with Hermione and her father."

"So where does that leave us?" Tonks asked quietly, her haunted expression showing that she was still grieving for Lupin.

"In a hell of a pickle," Dumbledore admitted. "Given what happened yesterday, we had serious problems, but they've multiplied significantly with Harry's departure."

"First things first, we need to decide how to deal with this," Kingsley said, throwing the morning's edition of The Daily Prophet, onto the table. On the front page was a large picture of Harry, along with the announcement that he had died in the battle at Diagon Alley.

"People who supported us because we had Harry back onside will abandon us in droves," Moody predicted sombrely.

"More than likely," Dumbledore agreed with a sigh. "From where I sit, I think we have two options as to how to handle this. The first is that we say nothing and let people think Harry is dead."

"Which the dark will rectify as soon as they get the chance," Sirius argued. "Even if people don't abandon us for no longer having Harry, they'll leave us for lying. And we don't exactly have a spotless reputation when it comes to telling the truth, do we?"

"Which is why my preferred option is to make use of the lies we've already told," Dumbledore said. "If we still had Harry, it might have been best to let people think he was dead. But if we do that, the truth will soon come out. So I say we beat the dark to the punch and admit Harry isn't dead."

"How is that any better?" Molly asked. "You want us to admit to having someone impersonate him during battles with the dark. How is that going to keep people trusting us?"

"I'm not saying we admit to all of the switches, just the final one," Dumbledore replied. "As far as everyone is concerned, Harry was back with us and fighting for us. But we tell them we heard about a ploy the dark had to snatch him, so we decided it was unsafe for Harry to be involved in the battle. We also have to admit that the dark somehow got him back, and we expect them to once again use magic to control him. I know it pretty much puts us back to where we were when they first arrived home, but it might keep us some of the support we've gained over the last few months."

"It's not ideal, but it's all we've got," Moody said. "I say we do it."

"But it doesn't help with the big issue," Sirius pointed out. "Are we ever going to be in a position to take out You-Know-Who? We've been so focused on Harry that we haven't been thinking about the bigger picture. If we get rid of him and his followers, it won't matter which side Harry is on."

"Are you suggesting we abandon Harry?" Molly questioned with a slight gasp of surprise.

"I hate to say it, but it's already too late," Sirius replied with a drawn out sigh. "He's lost to us, and likely was before we snatched him last time. He's made his choice, so I say we respect it."

"I told you that before we kidnapped him," Ron snorted. "He needs taking down with the rest of the damn dark."

"I hate to say it, but I think Ron and Sirius are right," Dumbledore said softly. "Harry is the enemy now, and it's time we all accepted it."

"And the twins?" Ron asked. "Are we going to discuss their part in what happened yesterday?"

"We can't prove anything," Dumbledore said with a shrug.

"Fred and George wouldn't have helped Harry again," Molly argued, determined to stick up for her sons. "It was different last time, they didn't know he was going to pledge himself to serve Hermione's father."

"Wake up Mum," Ron snorted. "The twins helped, and they knew exactly what was going to happen. They knew he would be going back to Hermione and her father."

"I think to be on the safe side, it's best that the twins don't visit headquarters again," Dumbledore announced. "But let's not focus on that right now. Let's get our story out there, and see what their next move is. But I think we need to prepare for a fight. We might not be close to taking out Voldemort, but we can hurt him. I think it's time to consider taking out Hermione. With her out of the way, it might just give us the chance to stop Voldemort in his tracks and stop him before it's too late."

Dumbledore's words caused a bit of a stir, but slowly everyone accepted the harsh truth of the matter. To stop Voldemort they were going to have to hit him where it hurt, and to do that they would have to take out Hermione. It was time to take the gloves off and get dirty. It was time to eliminate the threat Hermione posed, and to hopefully put an end to Voldemort's attempted take-over. It was time to end the war before the wrong side won and the Wizarding World was plunged into darkness.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N – Sorry to say there will only be one update this week as on Thursday I will be going to the Christmas market at York and won't have any time to post the next chapter. Updates will be back to normal next week, along with the first of my Christmas stories.**

* * *

Harry was enjoying every second of being back with his family, and his time away from them had only made him even more certain he'd chosen the right path. Even though Harry had long ago made the decision to pledge his loyalty to the dark, there had been a small part of him that wondered if he'd done the right thing. However, being back in the midst of the Order had proven to him once and for all that he'd made the right choice, and that his place was indeed in the heart of the dark.

While Harry was settling back in at the manor, the Order made their next move. Much to everyone's surprise they publicly acknowledged that the wizard who died in battle, who was thought to have been Harry, was in fact a member of the Order using Polyjuice Potion. However, that the was the extent of their truth telling, and everything else they uttered was a lie. They were peddling a story that they'd heard a rumour the dark were planning on kidnapping Harry, so he'd chosen to stay out of the battle in Diagon Alley. According to the Order, Harry had then still been snatched by the dark, and they were cautioning people that Voldemort would be once again controlling Harry, and nothing he now said could be trusted.

"Do you think people are buying this guff?" Harry asked over breakfast as he read yet another re-hash of the story Dumbledore was spinning. "How can anyone believe anything Dumbledore says any more? He's been shown to be a liar on more than one occasion."

"The way I look at it, his most fervent supporters don't care what lies he peddles," Lucius remarked. "As for the general public, I think there's so many different version of events out there, that they no longer know what to believe. The Order gained support when they had you, as people like to believe what they're seeing, but now you're no longer with them, their support will dwindle again."

"Why can't we just have him arrested for kidnap?" Harry asked, turning to Voldemort. "The Minister is in your pocket, isn't he?"

"He is," Voldemort confirmed with a nod. Even though the new minister had been a wizard of his choosing, he hadn't been a Death Eater and it had taken time to ensure that his loyalty was bound to their cause. "And you're right, we could have Dumbledore and his cronies arrested for kidnapping both you and Hope. But Dumbledore has been a thorn in my side for more years than I care to remember, and I want a more permanent solution to the problem he poses. But I suppose if you are still determined to save the Weasleys, we could take the legal route with them."

"I don't want to save them any more than you do, but I promised Fred I would do what I could to protect them," Harry said. "And I feel as if we owe Fred and George a great debt. They've helped me escape, not once but twice, and the second time they endangered themselves doing it."

"Harry's right," Hermione agreed with a sigh. "It makes my blood boil to even think about letting Molly getting away with the plans she'd made for me, but it's worth it if it keeps the twins onside."

"Surely she wouldn't be getting away with it completely," Narcissa remarked. "If we take the legal route and the Weasleys are arrested, surely they'll end up in Azkaban. And it's not exactly pleasant in there."

"It's not," Voldemort agreed with a smirk. "And I'm sure we can make their stay even more uncomfortable. There are worse fates than death for some people, and the Weasleys are about to embark upon their own personal journey into hell."

"Are we starting legal proceedings immediately?" Lucius asked.

"I'd rather take care of Dumbledore first," Voldemort replied.

"By playing more games?" Harry questioned with a frustrated sigh. "Does it really matter discrediting him if we're going to kill him?"

"Ah, you're eager for action," Voldemort chuckled proudly.

"I am," Harry confirmed. "I think we need to eliminate the threat he poses as soon as possible. And hopefully while doing so, we can find my wand."

"Actually, I think your wand could be what leads us to Dumbledore," Voldemort said. "I'm sure you're aware that I've been researching the link our wands have."

"I can remember you mentioning something about it," Harry said with a nod. In fact he was fairly certain the first mention of looking into their wands had happened shortly after he'd joined the family and swore allegiance to The Dark Lord.

"Our shared core is the reason for the connection," Voldemort explained. "As you remember, it makes it hard for us to fight one another."

"I remember," Harry recalled, his mind going back to the one time he'd faced Voldemort, and the way their wands had interacted with each others.

"I believe our wands were never meant to be used against one another, but used in unison together," Voldemort said. "I believe that used together, we could create some of the strongest magic ever seen. I believe that working together, we will be unstoppable."

"But only if I have my wand back," Harry pointed out.

"Which I promised you, we would make happen," Voldemort said. "Now, we know the Order weren't using it when they were impersonating you as my wand would have reacted when I battled the imposter. I also think it's safe to say, they didn't keep your wand in Order headquarters."

"I'm sure I would have come across it," Harry said, nodding in agreement. "I didn't do much wand-less magic, but the bit I did mange was done without my wand nearby, I could tell that much."

"So the logical person to have the wand is Dumbledore," Voldemort continued. "But to be sure, I thought we could use my wand to trace it."

"Can you do that?" Hermione asked.

"I'm fairly confident," Voldemort replied. "Severus and I have been looking into the matter, and we believe we've found a spell that will lead us to Harry's wand."

"When can we try it?" Harry asked eagerly. The new wand he was using was alright, but he missed having his own wand in his possession.

"We just need to be sure about the spell," Severus said. "If we're wrong, it might not lead us to the wand, but alert Dumbledore to the fact we're searching for it. And if that happens, who knows what he might do to your wand."

"You think he would break it?" Draco asked.

"I wouldn't put anything past him," Harry answered sombrely. "Especially since my little visit with the Order would have proven that I'm lost to them. You never know, he might destroy it anyway, if he views me as a threat."

"Which means we need to move quickly," Voldemort said. "Severus and I will do some more work on the spell, and with any luck we'll be ready to move at the weekend. But for now, your friends are coming over to see you, aren't they?"

Harry nodded, a smile lighting up his face at the mere thought of seeing Daphne. Not that anything had happened between them, and it was only minutes before his kidnapping that she'd teased him about kissing him. Harry was just hoping she hadn't forgotten and that a kiss from the beautiful witch was still in his future.

After finishing up breakfast, Harry, Hermione and Draco left the adults to concentrate on plans for retrieving Harry's wand and dealing with Dumbledore. With their friends due to arrive soon, they headed out into the garden, and Draco asked one of the elves to make sure their friends knew where to find them when they arrived.

"Are you nervous?" Hermione asked Harry as he paced the patio while she and Draco settled themselves in garden chairs.

"It feels almost like the first time of meeting them," Harry confessed. "After all, I didn't get much of a chance to bond with them before my kidnapping."

"You may not have bonded, but you certainly made an impression on Daphne," Draco chuckled. "She was beside herself when you were snatched."

"She's been worried about me?" Harry checked, unable to stop his lips from curving into a slight smirk at the idea.

"Everyone's been worried about you," Hermione replied. "But Daphne more than most," she conceded when Harry's face clouded over.

"It will be nice to see everyone again," Harry remarked, although he continued his pacing rather than sitting down with Hermione and Draco.

Less than five minutes later, the glass doors leading into the manor slid open and the Slytherins appeared. Barely a greeting was spared for Hermione and Draco, as Harry was the centre of attention and everyone made it clear that they were pleased to see him again. Daphne was the final Slytherin to greet Harry, and when they came face to face, Harry found his mouth had dried up and his words stuck in his throat.

"I'm pleased you're home safely," Daphne said softly, resting her hand on Harry's arm. "And I'm sorry for the role I played in your kidnapping."

"The role you played?" Harry questioned with a frown, the odd words pulling him out of his tongue-tied state.

"It was my fault you were lingering behind the others," Daphne admitted with a slight blush. "I shouldn't have been teasing you."

"So you didn't mean what you said?" Harry asked.

"I meant it," Daphne replied with a smile. "But there's a time and a place, and the middle of Diagon Alley wasn't it."

"So where is the time and place?" Harry questioned with a smirk.

"Somewhere private," Daphne answered, her gaze flitting around to their friends, who were all watching their interaction intently.

"Don't mind us," Blaise chuckled. "Feel free to kiss, we can see you both want to."

Feeling the pressure to kiss Daphne, Harry quickly surged forward and briefly pressed his lips to Daphne's. The kiss was over in a second, but it was enough for Harry to know he wanted more. Only next time they kissed, Harry was hoping they would do it in private, not with all their friends watching them.

"You call that a kiss?" Draco scoffed. "This is a kiss, Harry."

As Draco got to his feet, Harry momentarily thought he was going to kiss Daphne and he moved slightly closer to her. Spotting his movement, Draco rolled his eyes at Harry, but carried on past Harry and Daphne and over to where Hermione was sitting. Tugging on Hermione's hand, he pulled his girlfriend to her feet and swept her into his arms, his lips claiming hers in a heated embrace. Harry wasn't surprised by the heat simmering between Hermione and Draco, nor was he surprised when Hermione's fingers threaded through Draco's hair and his hands swept down her body and cupped her backside.

For what felt like an age, the two teenagers kissed with no abandon, totally un-fazed by the fact they were being watched. But eventually the need for air came between them, and they parted panting slightly, their eyes glazed with lust.

"Now that was a kiss," Blaise remarked with a low whistle.

"Very hot," Theo added.

"Very," Hermione confirmed in a breathless voice, his gaze locked on Draco.

"We can do better," Daphne countered challengingly.

"Prove it," Draco retorted, giving Harry a sly wink.

It occurred to Harry that Draco would now take credit for anything that might happen between him and Daphne, but he didn't have time to really think about it as a determined Daphne grabbed hold of his hands and turned him to face her. Giving him a seductive smile, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his lips down to hers. Unlike the first kiss, it was anything but brief, and as Daphne pressed herself against him, Harry wrapped his arms around her waist and deepened the kiss.

Lost in the moment, Harry felt himself begin to react to having Daphne pressed so close against him. When Daphne chuckled against his lips, Harry knew that she'd noticed his situation. However, she didn't end the kiss, she merely pressed closer to Harry, until like Hermione and Draco before them, the need for air brought an end to their kiss.

"How was that?" Harry asked, his eyes never leaving Daphne even though he was addressing Draco.

"Better than the first time, I suppose," Draco muttered with a shrug.

"Ignore him, it was brilliant," Daphne said with a smile. "Very hot."

"Would you do it again?" Harry checked.

"Damn right," Daphne replied, grinning at Harry. "But not in public. Some things should be private."

"Then how about a walk?" Harry offered. "We can catch up with the others later."

"It's easy to see who he's really missed," Blaise laughed as Daphne took up Harry's offer and the pair wandered off on their own.

With his arm through Daphne's, Harry led her down the garden and towards the path that led to a small pond. As they walked, they made small talk, but it was only once they settled down on the bench beside the pond that conversation turned to the matter of Harry's recent kidnapping ordeal.

"Was it hard for you?" Daphne asked. "Being back with the people you once thought of as family."

"Not as hard as it could have been," Harry admitted. "If anything it proved to me I made the right decision. I've always viewed joining The Dark Lord as sacrificing my place with the Order. But being back with the Order, I realised I didn't sacrifice anything, I gained something."

"What?" Daphne asked.

"A family," Harry replied. "You're right that I once thought of the Order as family. But what I realised when I was back with them, was that I didn't ever have a choice when I was with them. They all assumed I was going to fight for them. No-one ever asked me what I wanted."

"And The Dark Lord did," Daphne guessed.

"He did," Harry confirmed with a nod. "I didn't have to become a Death Eater. For the first time, I was given a choice about what I wanted to do. For the first time, no-one lied to me or tried to justify their actions. You know, The Dark Lord never tried to make excuses for what he did to my parents. He could have used his grief over losing Hermione to make excuses, but he didn't. He accepted what he'd done, and never once tried to justify his actions. Whereas the Order have spent all their recent time justifying themselves and their recent actions."

"So you don't regret it? Being here with us?" Daphne checked.

"No, I don't regret it," Harry confirmed, smiling at Daphne as he took hold of her hand. "And I certainly don't regret being here with you. Maybe once Dumbledore is sorted, and things are safer, we could go out sometime."

"I'd like that," Daphne replied, returning Harry's smile.

With a real date with Daphne up for grabs, Harry was more determined than ever to put an end to Dumbledore and the Order. Then once they were out of the way, he could focus on what he wanted from his life. And top of that list was a date with the gorgeous Daphne Greengrass.


	21. Chapter 21

While Voldemort and Severus devoted every waking hour to ensuring the spell they had found would lead them to Harry's wand without alerting Dumbledore to the fact they were coming, Lucius spent most of his time at the Ministry. Harry was surprised that Lucius wasn't involved in perfecting the spell to trace his wand, but it was explained to him that Lucius was attending meetings at the Ministry to help them formulate a criminal case against the Weasleys.

Technically, the case which was being built in secret encompassed everyone involved in Hermione's initial kidnapping, including Dumbledore. Lucius was working closely with the Minister to ensure that all the information they had was being properly recorded and stored safely. He'd also take fresh memories from Hermione, Harry and the Grangers to back up everything they'd ever claimed the Order had done.

By the time the case would be ready for the Aurors to take action, Dumbledore would hopefully be dead, but they were playing it as though they didn't know that. That way no-one could accuse the dark of planning Dumbledore's death. As far as the world was concerned, they'd been planning on dealing with him via the legal route, which would have seen him incarcerated for life.

With the adults busy making sure their plans were foolproof, the three teenagers in the family were pretty much left to their own devices. As much as Harry was loving being back with his family, spending so much time with Hermione and Draco reminded him of how frustrating they could be. Even though they didn't mean to, they had a tendency to lose themselves in each other and shut Harry out.

When a light rain forced them to stay indoors on Thursday, the trio settled in the library where Harry and Draco set up the chess board, while Hermione settled down with a book. But unusually for Hermione, she tired of the book pretty quickly and instead curled up beside Draco, whispering advice in his ear. However, Harry could see that before too long chess wasn't on either of their minds, and he doubted the whispered conversation had anything to do with the game in hand. Especially as Draco kept making rash moves, giving Harry the advantage in the game.

"Checkmate," he announced, ending the game before it had barely gotten going.

"Damn that was quick," Draco muttered, shaking his head at the board.

"I don't think your mind was really on the game," Harry retorted, his gaze pointedly gazing at Hermione, who was virtually rubbing herself against Draco like a cat in heat.

"Sorry, am I a distraction?" Hermione laughed. "I can go if you two want to play again."

"It's okay, I think I'm going to go," Harry said as his got to his feet. "I'll leave you two lovebirds alone. Only be careful you don't get caught. I'd hate to think what The Dark Lord would do if he found his precious daughter in a compromising position."

"Maybe chess is the safer option," Draco said to Hermione, a serious frown on his face.

"I can handle my father," Hermione laughed. "Live dangerously, Draco. I promise I won't let him hurt you."

"Beware the three fathers," Harry playfully advised Draco as he departed the library.

However, when he glanced back over his shoulder in the doorway, Hermione had won the battle and the pair were wrapped around each other in a heated exchange, all thoughts of being caught seemingly gone. Chuckling to himself and shaking his head, Harry sauntered away from the library. However, he hadn't even reached the end of the corridor when he heard a voice calling his name. Turning around he found Voldemort approaching him, and he winced when the dark wizard glanced into the library. However, The Dark Lord merely rolled his eyes at whatever he'd seen and carried on towards Harry.

"You're just the person I wish to speak to," Voldemort said. "Can we talk?"

"Sure," Harry replied, glancing back towards the library and hoping that Voldemort wasn't going to suggest entering the room.

"Let's go somewhere that isn't occupied," Voldemort said with a chuckle.

"Doesn't it bother you?" Harry asked as he joined Voldemort in heading towards the stairs and moving down to the ground floor.

"Draco and Hope?" Voldemort checked. "Why would it?"

"Not the relationship, the sex part," Harry clarified. "Most fathers would be furious to know their daughter was getting frisky with a boy."

"Firstly, I trust Hope to be sensible," Voldemort replied. "Secondly, not only have I had a quiet word with Draco, but I know Lucius and Severus have done the same. He knows what will happen if he steps out of line. And thirdly, even though Hope is my daughter and I love her deeply, I don't feel it's my place to be the over-protective father. It's just another thing Dumbledore and the Order stole from me."

As always, Harry was touched by the sadness in Voldemort's voice as he spoke about his relationship with Hermione. Because even though they'd developed a strong relationship and they both loved each other, Harry understood that it would always be flawed. It would always carry the scars that years of separation had inflicted. No matter how much they wanted it, their relationship would never be like a normal father and daughter because Voldemort hadn't been given the chance to raise his daughter. Instead she'd been raised by someone else, and for so long it had been another man that had been her father.

"I didn't seek you out to discuss Hope," Voldemort announced, clearing his throat as they entered one of the small parlous and settled in a couple of chairs either side of a beautifully carved wooden table. "I wanted to let you know that we're confident the spell will work. We're ready to try it on Saturday."

"Excellent," Harry grinned, unable to keep the excitement from his voice. "What will I have to do?"

"You'll have to be the one to cast the spell with my wand," Voldemort explained. "The spell should link our wands, or rather strengthen the existing link, and we should be able to use my wand to lead us to yours. But I also wanted to discuss what's going to happen afterwards."

"After we've got my wand back, or after we've dealt with Dumbledore?" Harry asked.

"Either, both," Voldemort answered with a slight shrug. "As I mentioned to you, I think we can achieve great things if we work together. If I'm right, we can wield magic so powerful it hasn't been used in hundreds of years. We could be unstoppable, Harry."

"I like the sound of that," Harry grinned. By now he wasn't surprised by his ambition and willingness to use dark magic as his brief time with the Order had helped solidify his belief that he was where he was meant to be.

"Enough to become my heir and one day take over my mantle as the next Dark Lord?" Voldemort asked quietly, his tone of voice letting Harry know he was deadly serious.

"Your heir?" Harry gasped in shock. "But surely Hermione is your heir."

"She is in one respect, but I've spoken to her and we both agree that leading the Death Eaters isn't for her," Voldemort admitted. "Once we've dealt with the Order, she plans on finding a post within the Ministry, and one day rising to become Minister. But there is more to be achieved than controlling Wizarding Britain, Harry. With Hope keeping things steady here, you and I could be free to explore the globe and gain even greater power."

"But why me?" Harry questioned. "Is it just because of our wands connection?"

"That is a big part of it," Voldemort answered honestly. "But you yourself are also a big part of my decision. Both you and Hope have embraced the darkness within and learnt to revel in it, but there's a fire in you, I don't always see in Hope. I know that until justice is served, she won't rest, but that day is soon coming, and I can already tell that once we've dealt with the Order my daughter will be happy to settle down with Draco and climb the ladder at the Ministry. Her desire for power will be fulfilled by becoming the most important witch in the country. But you Harry, the fire I see inside you, will only continue to grow. You were meant for greatness. Maybe in another time that greatness would have come about by you killing me, but not in this world. In this world, I think your greatness will come about by joining with me. Together, we can achieve anything, Harry. The world is at your feet, all you have to do is grab it."

"And Hermione is okay with this?" Harry checked. "She wouldn't feel as though I was usurping her place at your side?"

"Check if you want," Voldemort offered. "But I promise you, Hope approves of this. She wants you to be the best you can be. She wants you to revel in the darkness."

"And Draco?" Harry questioned.

"What about Draco?" Voldemort queried, not quite sure why Harry had mentioned Draco.

"Wouldn't he be an option to take over from you?" Harry questioned. "He is more than likely going to end up as your son-in-law one day. Wouldn't it make more sense for him to take over?"

"Draco would be a very good choice of heir, and in different circumstances, I might have considered going down that path," Voldemort admitted. "But there are a couple of reasons why I think you are best suited for the role. Firstly, if Draco takes over rather than Hope there will be people who will think he's only in charge because of his relationship with my daughter. People will view him as little more than a puppet, and I can guarantee if they think like that, he won't get the full respect of the Death Eaters, therefore he will never get them obeying him without question."

"He and Hermione could take charge together," Harry suggested.

"Again, that would work," Voldemort agreed with a nod of his head. "But as I've explained, Hope doesn't want to run the Death Eaters. She won't stop supporting the cause and being there when we need her, but she wants a future that lies beyond the Death Eaters. So Draco would be on his own, which brings us back to the problems I've already raised. Besides, I'm already trusting him with the most precious thing in my life, and quite frankly I would rather his main priority was Hope and ensuring that she is happy."

"It still feels as though I'd be stepping on his toes," Harry admitted. "What if he assumes that with Hermione not wanting the role, he'll be taking over with the Death Eaters? We're friends, and I don't want him to end up resenting me."

"I suggest you talk to him," Voldemort advised. "But don't forget that first and foremost, Draco is a Malfoy. While I'm sure part of him would love to be my heir, he's already got that role within his own family. There's already talk of him joining Lucius in the family business once things have settled down. He's already got a lot on his plate as the Malfoy heir. And it's not like I'm suggesting cutting him out completely. In fact, I would say his support will be vital for you in the future. He could be for you what Lucius is to me. You need someone you can rely on and have total faith in, and I think for you, Draco is that person. Talk to him, and I guarantee he'll have no problem with you taking control as long as he's your right hand man."

"In that case, I really can't say no," Harry replied with a grin. "I just hope I don't let you down," he added seriously. "You're right in the fact I've embraced my inner darkness, and in fact I don't always see it as darkness, but as you once said, shades of grey. But what if I'm not ruthless enough? What if my magic isn't strong enough?"

"We'll find that out on Saturday," Voldemort said with a chuckle. "You and I will be leading the march to retrieve your wand. And unless they're needed, everyone else will be bystanders. Saturday will be the first test of what we can achieve together, and Dumbledore will be our first victim."

* * *

By the time Saturday arrived, Harry was almost bursting with excitement. Following his chat with Voldemort, he'd had a long talk with both Hermione and Draco, both of whom had assured him that Voldemort had been right. Hermione admitted that as she much as she was loving exploring a different side to her nature, she had no desire for world domination. As Voldemort had predicted, all she wanted was a life with Draco and the chance to become the most powerful witch in the country by one day taking over as Minister for Magic. And as for Draco, he confirmed that his future lay with the Malfoy family business and that as long as he was still a part of Harry's future plans with the Death Eaters, he was happy to take a step back. He would happily settle for being Harry's right hand man, just like Lucius was Voldemort's. All in all Hermione and Draco were more than happy for Harry to take his place at Voldemort's side, and they both promised to support the pair of them in any way they could as they sought to take over the entire wizarding world.

However, before any of that could even be a consideration, Harry needed his wand back. As Voldemort promised, he and Harry were leading the charge. Severus, Lucius, Hermione and Draco would be joining them on their mission, but would only step in if they were needed. And of course Voldemort had a section of Death Eaters on high alert in case things got lively. If that did happen, he could immediately summon a group of supporters which included his group of newest recruits and more experienced fighters like Bellatrix and the Lestrange brothers.

"Are you ready?" Voldemort asked Harry as everyone gathered in the large dining room at Malfoy Manor, which had been emptied just in case the spell went awry.

"I think so," Harry replied nervously.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Severus checked. Even though they'd gone over the spell several times, he wanted to make sure Harry was confident on what was expected of him.

"I say the spell which will put me into a trance like state," Harry answered, repeating back what he'd been told several times. "In my trance, I should be able to feel, or maybe even see, my wand. I then need to cast another spell, which will link the two wands."

"I think that's about it," Voldemort said with a nod. "Everyone move back and give Harry room." Once everyone was back against the walls, he removed his wand from his robes and handed it over to Harry. "Good luck," he whispered, before moving back to stand next to Hermione.

As he held Voldemort's wand in his hand, Harry felt not only the trust Voldemort had placed in him by handing over his wand, but also his magic bubbling under the surface of his skin. It was a heightened sensation of what he felt when he held his own wand in his hand, and it proved to him that Voldemort could well be right about what they could achieve working together. With so much magic flowing between them, they could end up being pretty devastating.

"Now?" he checked.

"When you're ready," Severus said sternly, sounding like the strict Potions Professor Harry had first met as a nervous eleven year old. "Don't rush it and make a mistake. Take a few moments and cast the spell once you're totally ready."

Following Severus's advice, Harry took a few moments to calm his breathing and to get used to the feeling of Voldemort's wand in his fingers. Only once he was totally calm and ready to proceed did he raise the unfamiliar wand, and uttering the incantation he'd learnt that morning, he repeatedly swished his wand in the shape of a figure eight. Slowly sparks began to appear from the end of the wand and as he continued to move it, Harry saw the continuous shape he was making start to form with the magic he was producing. Continuing his actions, his eyes stayed rooted to the shape he was making and he was only vaguely aware of his surroundings fading out to be replaced by a soft golden glow.

It wasn't until he heard his name hissed quietly that he stopped and realised that he was all alone. Searching around for whoever had called him, Harry could see no-one. However, as he continued to turn around a shape began to come into focus. Concentrating on the shape seemed to help and within minutes Harry was standing in front of a small table which contained an ornate wooden chest. Without having to open the chest, he could feel the pull of his wand and he knew he was looking at wherever Dumbledore had hidden his wand.

Not sure if he could actually touch the chest, Harry reached out his hand and it passed straight through the chest, causing the image to shimmer slightly. Not wanting to lose the connection, Harry took some more deep breaths and waited for the image of the table and chest to settle. Once he could see the table and chest so clearly he could almost be in the room with them, Harry gently reached out his hand and hovered it over the chest. This time he didn't try and touch the chest, but he held his hand so close to the image that he could feel the power of his wand radiating out from the chest.

Focusing on that power, he raised Voldemort's wand and once again began to draw the figure eight in the air, this time moving the wand in the opposite direction. As he did so, he incanted the second spell he'd been taught that morning, and as before the magic he created manifested itself in the pattern he was drawing. And then all of a sudden there was an explosion of light and everything briefly went black, before Harry found himself back in the dining room with everyone watching him expectantly.

"Well?" he asked, surprised to hear himself sounding out of breath.

"Shouldn't we be asking you that?" Draco questioned with a snort. "From where we stood, you simply waved the wand around and drew infinity symbols in the air."

"You didn't see anything?" Harry asked.

"No," Voldemort confirmed. "Did you?"

"I saw a chest standing on a table," Harry replied. "My wand was inside my chest."

"And you cast the spell?" Severus checked.

"I did," Harry answered with a nod. "Did it work?"

"Let's find out," Voldemort said, holding his hand out for his wand. When it was back in his possession he repeated the movement Harry had started the spell with and a red mist floated out of the end of his wand and drifted towards the window.

"It worked," Severus said as Lucius opened the window and the mist slipped out of the room.

"So what do we do now?" Hermione asked, crossing to the window and seeing that the mist had risen into the air and was hovering over the manor.

"Follow the mist," Voldemort replied. "Harry and I are connected to it. Can you feel it Harry?"

"I feel as though I'm floating over the manor," Harry replied. "It's very disconcerting."

"It won't be for long," Voldemort chuckled. "The mist will soon move and settle over the location of your wand. All we then have to do is follow the connection and apparate to where the mist is. Can you handle side along apparition, or would you rather I made multiple trips to collect everyone?"

"I don't want to splice anyone," Harry muttered, swaying on his feet as the feeling of being in the air intensified. "I think the mist is moving," he gasped.

"It is," Voldemort agreed. "Stay still while it's in flight."

For what felt like an eternity, Harry stood completely still while the mist travelled to the location of his wand. Finally, the sensation began to fade, and even though he still felt as though he was in mid-air, he at least felt as though he wasn't moving.

"That's it," Voldemort said. "Let's go. Hope, you come with me. And I will be back for the rest of you shortly."

Once Hermione had a firm hold of Voldemort's hand, he whisked them away with Harry following close behind. Seconds later he was back for Lucius, and then both he and Lucius returned so that while Voldemort was taking Severus to their destination, Lucius, who only had to visit somewhere briefly to be able to apparate back, could take Draco. In a matter of seconds the dining room was deserted, bar from Narcissa who had opted to stay behind, and the first real trial of how much power Voldemort and Harry could wield together was about to begin.


	22. Chapter 22

Even though he knew he should be with The Order, making plans on how to defeat the dark, Dumbledore was instead hidden away in the small cottage in Scotland he owned. Sitting beside him on an antique side table was a half gone bottle of fire-whisky, which Dumbledore had opened less than an hour ago. Dumbledore knew getting drunk wasn't exactly going to help the situation, but he'd needed a drink and some time alone to mull over the mistakes they'd made just recently.

Deep down, Dumbledore suspected that their problems sprang from the choices they'd made when Hermione was a child. However, that was all ancient history and he knew no good would come of dwelling on those choices. What was done was done, and in all honesty if he could do it all again, Dumbledore wasn't sure he would have done anything differently. He wasn't sure anything would be able to convince him that they hadn't had Hermione's best interests at heart when they'd removed her from that monster of a father of hers. However, he couldn't deny the consequences of their actions had been more dire than he'd considered at the time.

What Dumbledore was really mulling over, was how they'd handled things in recent months. He fully believed they'd done the right thing in snatching Harry and bringing him home. However, it was after they'd had Harry back that things had started to go wrong. Once they'd had Harry back, they should have focused on getting rid of Hermione. However, Sirius had come up with the idea of using Harry's supposed deflection to rattle her, making her easier to kill, and Dumbledore had thought it was a good plan. But now in hindsight he could see they'd yet again underestimated the bond she had with Harry. All the time they'd been taunting her, she'd merely been playing along and had always known that Harry hadn't turned on her. So all the opportunities they'd had to get rid of her had passed them by as they'd played unnecessary games.

Although worse of all was the fact they'd lost Harry and he was once again back with the dark. Dumbledore was under no illusions how much their deflection was going to cost the Order. He was also well aware that Harry was well and truly lost to them, and even though he hadn't raised it with the Order, he believed that he would also have to be killed. Even if they killed Hermione and trapped Voldemort, until they were able to take him out once and for all, Harry would still be a threat. His heart and loyalty were firmly with the dark, and Dumbledore very much doubted Harry would take Hermione's death lying down. But with any luck, they could use his heartbreak over Hermione's death to deal with him, just like they were planning on doing with Voldemort.

Not that Dumbledore knew just how they were going to get to Hermione. It was all well and good planning on using Hermione to gain the advantage over the dark, but it was another thing making it happen. Given what had happened to Harry, he had no doubt that the dark would be on high alert, so there would be no chance of snatching her the way they'd done with Harry. Not that Dumbledore wanted to snatch Hermione as the whole idea was to kill her, and make sure Voldemort and Harry knew they'd lost her.

Knowing that he would have to come up with a plan soon, Dumbledore poured himself another generous glass of fire-whisky and downed it in one. Pouring himself another glass, he raised it to his lips just as a loud rumble of thunder shook the cottage. The noise was so loud, it actually sounded as though it was coming from inside the cottage, and it was enough to get Dumbledore to his feet and to the window, where he looked outside for any sign of the storm.

"Strange," he muttered, finding no sign of a storm brewing outside.

When the thunder sounded again, yet there was no sign of any lightning, Dumbledore put down his glass and moved towards the front door. Stepping outside, he glanced skywards and frowned again at the clear sky. However, as he turned to go back inside, a red cloud hovering over his cottage caught his eye. Instantly he knew it was magical, and when another loud rumble of thunder shook the house, again sounding as though it was coming from inside, he knew there was more to it than a simple storm.

Sensing that trouble was brewing, Dumbledore hurried back inside to grab his wand. As he did so, his eyes landed on the chest in which he'd stored Harry's wand, and he noticed the box was shaking slightly. Cursing he reached for the chest, only to find his fingers scorched as the wood was hot to the touch. Realising that he couldn't physically open the box, Dumbledore used his wand to try and open the catch, only to find the box wouldn't respond to his magic.

"Impossible," he gasped.

"Not impossible," a cold voice cackled from behind him and Dumbledore whirled around to find Voldemort and Harry standing behind him in the doorway of his cottage.

"You can't come in," Dumbledore stammered, taken slightly off-guard by their presence. "My wards will prevent you from entering my cottage."

"We don't need to enter your cottage," Voldemort cackled. "Thanks to you hiding Harry's wand, we can tear your cottage down around your ears."

"How?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes skittering towards the chest that contained Harry's wand.

"Did you forget the connection between our wands?" Harry asked, gesturing to the wand Voldemort was holding in his pale fingers. "It's how we found my wand."

"Maybe it was," Dumbledore said with a shrug. "But you can't use your wand as long as it's locked away from you."

"Want to bet?" Harry asked with a grin. Even though he didn't have his wand in his hands, he could feel its presence and he was confident he could harness the connection with The Dark Lord's wand to perform magic.

Before Dumbledore could answer, Harry placed his hand on Voldemort's arm and the pair of them hissed a curse. The result was another loud rumble of thunder, and this time Dumbledore saw the chest where Harry's wand was shaking with the force of the spell. Feeling nervous, Dumbledore glanced between the blocked door and the shaking chest.

"This is only the beginning, Dumbledore," Voldemort crowed. "Surrender now and save yourself a lot of pain."

"Never," Dumbledore vowed.

"We were rather hoping you would say that, weren't we Harry?" Voldemort chuckled.

"We were," Harry confirmed with a wicked grin. "Just remember Professor, you brought this all on yourself. You played god with other peoples lives, and now you're paying the price for your interference. I do hope you enjoy the show."

Raising his wand, Dumbledore shot a series of hexes towards the intruders, but both Voldemort and Harry managed to dodge the curses and back away from the cottage. Chasing after them, Dumbledore halted in the doorway when he spotted the pair standing together in his small front garden. Harry's hand was still on Voldemort's arm, and Dumbledore already knew that meant he could harness the power of his wand using the connection it had with Voldemort's. The small bit of magic he'd seen so far had been truly amazing and he was terrified to think about what they could do if they had full access to Harry's wand.

As if to demonstrate how right Dumbledore was, Voldemort and Harry once again performed the spell that had thunder rumbling overhead. Only this time the rumble was prolonged, and the cottage began to physically shake. Clutching the door-frame, Dumbledore gasped as he heard glass shattering somewhere at the back of the cottage. If they kept this up, he could genuinely see his small cottage crumbling under the pressure of the magic.

"Tell me Dumbledore, is that a thatched roof?" Voldemort called with a manic laugh.

Dumbledore barely had a chance to even think about why Voldemort was asking about the roof when the pair cast another spell and a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky. The bolt was only the first of many and Dumbledore wasn't really too surprised when several of them hit the roof and he started to smell burning. Realising he was in danger, Dumbledore made to exit the house only to find an invisible barrier preventing him reaching the freedom of his garden.

"Wand first, Professor," Harry called as he and Voldemort continued with their storm, which now included rain and wind and was starting to whirl around the cottage, making visibility increasingly poor.

Knowing there was no way he was going to hand over Harry's wand, not now he knew how much damage he could cause at Voldemort's side, Dumbledore set about trying to disable whatever magic Voldemort had used to keep him trapped in his cottage. Only as he did so, he had to contend with the cottage shaking and been torn apart by the storm Voldemort and Harry were causing. Crashes could now be heard all around the cottage, the roof was an inferno and even the bricks had started to come loose and fall around him.

"This won't change anything, Harry," Dumbledore called through the storm. "Killing me won't stop the Order."

"But it will stop you," Harry called back. "Goodbye Professor."

At Harry's words the storm seemed to intensify and Dumbledore acknowledged to himself that he was well and truly trapped. He wasn't getting anywhere with releasing the wards which were keeping him inside the house, and in fact he was beginning to suspect that someone other than Harry and Voldemort were controlling them as they seemed to be reinforcing themselves every time he felt as though he was getting somewhere. Although to be honest, it was no surprise that Voldemort and Harry weren't alone, and he strongly suspected that outside of the eye of the storm, the pair had reinforcements.

Deciding that reinforcements were the way to go, Dumbledore turned his back on the pair trying to kill him and cast his patronus. Imparting a message into the shimmering silver Phoenix shaped blast of magic, he sent it off to gather the rest of The Order. It was likely too late for him, but with any luck the Order would arrive in time to do battle with the dark. And hopefully they would be able to take out Hermione when she wasn't expecting it.

Hoping that his message had made it through the storm, Dumbledore turned back to the doorway just as another loud rumble of thunder hit the cottage and the floor below him moved beneath his feet. Losing his footing, Dumbledore hit the floor with a thud and his wand scuttled from his fingers. Trying his best to reach his wand, a loud cracking sound caused him to look up just as the beam above him gave way and the ceiling began to collapse. Crying out he tried to get out of the way, but his age meant he couldn't move as quickly as he'd once been able to, and there was nothing he could do to prevent himself from been buried under the rubble as the top half of his cottage collapsed right on top of him.

As the cottage began to collapse, outside in the garden, Voldemort and Harry shared a triumphant smirk. The control of the weather they'd managed had been beyond anything either of them had ever dreamed of. When Voldemort had mentioned a spell he'd found to summon a storm, they'd both been a bit sceptical over whether it would work as it was a well known fact that even the strongest of magical practitioners couldn't control the weather, but it had worked beyond all of their expectations. The control they had together was pretty stunning, and they could both tell that once Harry actually had his wand, they could achieve almost anything.

"Do you think he's dead?" Harry asked, taking a deep breath as they eased off on the magic and the storm began to die out.

"If not he soon will be," Voldemort said with a shrug. "Now let's get your wand."

Using Voldemort's wand as a guide, the pair scrambled over the rubble and dug out the chest containing Harry's wand. Springing open the box, Harry pulled out his wand with a triumphant cry. It felt good to have his wand back in his possession, and he stroked the familiar wood, Harry felt power he'd never noticed before surging beneath his fingertips. He wasn't sure if the connection with Voldemort's wand had made him more aware of his own magical ability, or if it was being parted with his wand that had made him so in tune with his magic.

"We've got incoming," Hermione's voice suddenly called.

"Dumbledore must have sent for The Order," Harry remarked.

"It's another chance to see what we can do," Voldemort said with a smirk. "And now you've got your wand, the sky is the limit, Harry."

"Poor Order," Harry laughed as he twirled his wand in his fingers. "Let the fun begin."

Jumping down from the rubble, he headed off to join Hermione and Draco as the others gathered around to deal with the Order. As more of the Order began to appear in the distance, Voldemort sent word for some more of his supporters to come and join in the fun. Getting Harry's wand had been the aim of the day, but not only had they taken out Dumbledore, but now they had a chance to bring down the heart of the Order. By the end of the day the outcome of the war could well be decided, and unless a disaster occurred, Voldemort was confident that they would be the victors and they would be the ones celebrating come the end of the day.


	23. Chapter 23

Hermione fully understood that Harry and her father needed to take the lead in retrieving Harry's wand, but that didn't mean she could stop the feelings of jealousy swimming through her as they reached the place where Harry's wand was located. As her father ordered Severus and Lucius to erect their own wards to stop Dumbledore from leaving the property, if he turned out to be in residence, Hermione wished he would give her a job, which he did by asking her and Draco to set up a perimeter ward so that if the Order did turn up, they wouldn't be taken by surprise.

"Don't look so tense, Hope," Voldemort chuckled, dropping an affectionate kiss to the top of her head when she informed him the perimeter was set. "Something tells me you're going to get some action today."

"I hope so," Hermione muttered as she watched Harry and her father head off towards the cottage their spell cloud was hovering over, their heads close together as they discussed something.

Slipping her hand through Draco's, she silently watched as her father and Harry stopped outside of the cottage and had a lengthy conversation. While they were talking, Severus and Lucius had erected some wards of their own, and they were ready to make sure they held up to anyone going against them.

"If he is inside, he's not getting out," Lucius muttered as a loud rumble of thunder sounded overhead.

As the thunder continued to rumble, Hermione raised her eyes looking for a storm, and that was when she realised the thunder was magical. Turning her focus back to her father and Harry, she could see they were casting spells, and she was certain they were controlling the weather. Although only time would tell how much control they would ultimately have on the elements.

As it turned out, they ended up having excellent control and Hermione forgot about her jealousy at not being involved as she watched the spectacular show her father and Harry put on. She'd never seen anything like it, and she was genuinely awe-struck to watch the way the pair engulfed Dumbledore's cottage in a storm of their own making.

"I've never seen anything like it," Draco called over the howling of the wind. "I didn't think this was even possible."

"I don't think it is possible on your own," Hermione shouted back. "It's the power of the twin wands. It's amazing."

"You're not wishing you were down there?" Draco checked.

"Maybe," Hermione replied honestly. "But I can't deny father and Harry are a perfect pair. Dumbledore must be terrified down there."

As much as she loved watching the drama, Hermione did wish she could see more once the wind got up and the cottage became engulfed in what was virtually a tornado. However, the chaos the howling wind was causing blocked their view, and they had to make do with the odd glimpse of the cottage, along with watching the lightening strike and the thunder roar.

"I think the roof is on fire," Draco yelled, pointing to where flickering flames could be seen through the debris from the ground which was flying around in the wind.

"At this rate the entire cottage will be collapsing," Hermione chuckled.

And sure enough Hermione's prediction soon came to pass as an extra loud rumble filled the air before the sound of bricks crumbling could be heard. As soon as the cottage started to collapse the wind died down, and Hermione had a perfect view as the cottage tumbled around Dumbledore's ears.

"Do you think he's dead?" she asked, spotting her father and Harry scrambling over the rubble.

"If he survived having a cottage caving in on him, he won't survive being rescued," Lucius predicated. "The Dark Lord will make sure he's dead."

Hermione was just about to say she wouldn't mind that job, when her wand began to vibrate in her hand. Beside her, Draco's did the same and together they whirled around to where they'd placed the perimeter wards. Just beyond the wards she could see figures appearing from thin air.

"We've got incoming," she shouted loud enough for her father and Harry to hear her.

"The Order?" Draco queried.

"Dumbledore must have been able to send word to them," Hermione replied. "I didn't notice anything, did you?"

"In that storm?" Draco snorted. "I couldn't see a thing, let alone some signal Dumbledore might have sent."

"Speaking of Dumbledore, is he dead?" Severus asked as Voldemort and Harry joined them.

"I don't know yet, we didn't get a chance to check," Voldemort replied with a shrug as he decided to call for reinforcements. "Hope, Draco, drop your wards and let the Order in. It's time to end this. And if anyone does manage to get to Dumbledore, make sure the bastard's dead."

The second Hermione and Draco dropped their wards the Order, or rather the pathetic rag-tag of witches and wizards who'd remained loyal to Dumbledore, surged forward. Hermione could tell that as reinforcements arrived, they would severely outnumber the Order, so unless they were to turn tail and run any survivors would be of their choosing.

"I want Sirius," Harry called.

"In that case, give me Molly," Hermione said.

"What about the twins?" Harry asked with a worried frown. "You can't kill her."

"Who said I was going to kill her?" Hermione questioned with a dark smile. "There are worse things than death, Harry."

Chuckling Harry turned his attention back to the Order, just in time to jump to the side and avoid Hagrid running right into him. However, Hagrid seemed oblivious to the group of dark practitioners as he hurtled past them, down towards the rubble that was Dumbledore's cottage.

"Severus, keep an eye on that oaf," Voldemort ordered. "If he finds Dumbledore, make sure the old fool is gone."

"I'm on it," Severus said as he turned and ran after Hagrid, his black cloak billowing behind him.

Spotting their reinforcements appearing behind the Order, Hermione quickly jumped into action and sidestepping Ron, who tried to engage her in combat by yelling her name and calling her a traitorous bitch, she set her sights on Molly. Luckily Draco had her back and he immediately knocked Ron off his feet, engaging the redhead and leaving Hermione free to target Molly.

"Hello there Molly, how nice to see you again," Hermione called, sending a spell right by Molly's nose in order to get her undivided attention.

"You little bitch," Molly snarled, casting a stinging hex at Hermione who easily dodged it.

"Is that the only insult you Weasleys know?" Hermione teased mockingly. "Your son has just called me a bitch."

"Because that's what you are," Molly hissed, still firing curses at Hermione, who was either dodging them or batting them away using magic. "An evil little bitch."

"I don't appreciate the little, but I have no problem with being evil, and I certainly have no problem with being a bitch," Hermione chuckled. "You want a bitch Molly, then you've got one."

Flashing Molly a deadly grin, Hermione shot a series of quick-fire spells at the red-headed woman. Even though Molly was years older than Hermione and had years more experience under her belt, she was no match for the younger witch. Not only was Hermione faster on her feet, and quicker in throwing her spells, but she also had the advantage of being trained by her father, Lucius and Severus. She never once thought about which spells to use and she let her instincts guide her. Some of the spells she threw Molly's way were everyday curses that anyone would use in a duel, but she also knew a few darker curses and wasn't afraid of using them.

After less than ten minutes Molly went down and Hermione advanced on her, hitting her with the Cruciatus curse as she went. Hermione had taken to all of the unforgivable curses fairly easily, but she excelled in the torture curse and she allowed herself to really feel all the hurt, anger and betrayal she'd experienced all those years ago when she'd heard Molly and Sirius plotting to kill her. With her emotions in overdrive the venom in Hermione's curse was like nothing she'd ever produced before and she revelled in the anguished screams coming from Molly. Standing over Molly, Hermione had never hated anyone more than she did that second and she had to fight herself to stop her from ending Molly's pathetic existence there and then. Instead with a great deal of effort she stopped her spell and stood over a whimpering Molly, breathing heavily.

"I suppose you're going to kill me now," Molly whispered, her voice cracking and shaking from the pain she was in.

"That would be a mercy," Hermione hissed. Reaching down she grabbed Molly by the hair and roughly yanked her into a sitting position. "I'm going to leave you alive, Molly," she spat in her ear. "I'm going to leave you with the knowledge that this is all your fault. Everything you see before you is happening because of you."

"No," Molly whimpered, her eyes flittering closed and her head drooping.

"Stay awake, Molly," Hermione snapped. Casting a spell to keep Molly's eyes open, she knelt down to better use her hair to move her head. "You see this, Molly," she whispered quietly, turning Molly's head so she could take in the sight of the Order outnumbered and outmanoeuvred. "You caused this. This is all because of you."

"No," Molly repeated. "You. You've caused this."

"No Molly, it was you," Hermione cackled. "Dumbledore is dead because of you." Jerking Molly's head to the side, she let her take in the sight of Dumbledore's lifeless body, which Hagrid had pulled out of the rubble of the cottage. "Sirius is going to die because of you." Moving her head again, she pointed Molly in the direction of where a furious Harry was repeatedly slamming Sirius into a tree. "Your son might even die today," she added, smirking when she turned Molly's head towards where Draco had Ron on the floor and was slowly and painfully breaking all his fingers.

"No," Molly cried. "Don't do this, Hermione. Please, don't do this. You're not a monster."

"That wasn't what you said three years ago," Hermione snorted. "Or can't you remember plotting to kill me? I can remember it."

"I'm sorry," Molly sobbed.

"It's too late for sorry," Hermione hissed in Molly's ear. "Sorry doesn't make this right. Sorry doesn't change what you set in motion. And believe it or not, you brought me here today, Molly. If you'd only accepted me, none of this would have happened. Harry would have still been with the Order. I would have still been with the Order. And you know what, we would have killed The Dark Lord. I would have found a way to bring him down."

"You wouldn't," Molly whispered wearily. "Not your father."

"But I didn't know that," Hermione pointed out. "I thought he was a monster, and I would have done anything to bring him down. And I would have succeeded. I would have found a way for Harry to kill him. I know that, and he knows that. But he's not dead because of you. You gave him a second chance when you plotted to kill me. You were so worried about me turning out like him, that you pushed me into it. If only you'd kept quiet, I would have been on your side. We would have won. And you know the funny thing, Molly. You could have had the last laugh. You could have laughed over the fact The Dark Lord's daughter had been the one to bring him down. Now that would have been the ultimate revenge. But because of you, none of that happened. Instead, this happened."

Gesturing to the scenes around them, Hermione was quiet as she made sure Molly drank in everything she saw and thought about everything she'd heard.

"Thank you Molly," Hermione finally whispered, pressing her lips against Molly's cheek. "Thank you for handing my father victory. We couldn't have done this without you."

When Molly began to cry, Hermione looked into her eyes and saw that she'd finally accepted the truth. She could see the guilt in Molly's eyes and she knew the older woman would spend the rest of her life blaming herself for everything that had happened. She would blame herself for the light losing the war, and she would be right. After all, none of this would be happening if she hadn't plotted to kill Hermione simply for being the daughter of Lord Voldemort.

"Goodbye Molly," Hermione said as she rose to her feet.

For a moment she saw Molly's eyes flash with fear, before hope took its place. Laughing at the fact Molly thought she was going to end her pain and kill her, Hermione knocked Molly out before casually stepping over her unconscious body and making her way towards her boyfriend. Draco had been joined by Blaise and the pair were standing over a barely conscious Ron.

"What have you done to him?" she asked.

"Not a lot," Draco answered, clearly disappointed by the lack of fight the redhead had put up. "He started brightly, but aside from catching my arm with a slashing charm, he was pretty ineffective. We've spent the last ten minutes having fun with him."

"Do you want him dead?" Blaise asked.

"We did say we wouldn't kill any Weasleys," Hermione mused. "Although that's not to say he can't die from his injuries. How strong do you think he is?"

"I would say he's pretty much had it," Draco replied. "He barely has the strength to cry out."

"I do hope you can cry just once for me, Ron," Hermione crooned, kneeling down to get a good look at her former friend. "I never thought it would come to this," she whispered. "We were friends, and I thought that meant something to you. But you were only too happy to see me cast aside. If you'd known about me, you would have gone along with your mother's plan, wouldn't you? You would have tried to kill me."

"Yes," Ron spat, using his strength to push himself into a sitting position, which wasn't easy as his fingers were clearly broken and likely very painful. "I would have killed you."

"You would never have had the balls," Hermione laughed. "Can you remember how I once told you that you had to mean an unforgivable curse for it to work properly? Well Ron, I mean this. Crucio!"

Once again letting her emotions flow, Hermione poured everything into the curse she aimed at Ron. Despite his weakened state, he did still manage to scream and wail in pain. Although it wasn't long before he'd collapsed back to the floor in agony, and a few minutes later he passed out completely.

"I think that's enough now, Hermione," Draco said gently, stopping Hermione as she continued to pour all of her pain into the curse she was shooting at Ron.

"Is he dead?" she asked, finally dropping the curse.

"He's got a pulse, but its weak," Blaise said as he checked on Ron. "I'm not sure he's going to survive."

"Let's leave it in the lap of the gods," Hermione said, throwing one last look at Ron before she turned away. If he pulled through then he was meant to survive, but if he died, then it was someone else she no longer had to worry about threatening her and her future.

"Whoa, look at Harry go," Blaise suddenly remarked with a low whistle.

Locating Harry, Hermione watched with wide eyes as her best friend magically spun Sirius around in a circle above his head. Moving closer to the action, she could hear Harry shouting at Sirius and was amused to find her friend was telling him much the same thing she'd told Molly. Harry was making sure Sirius got the message that he was the reason that he'd gone to the dark side. He was making it clear that Sirius's actions had caused all of this.

"Don't you agree, Hermione?" Harry called, unceremoniously dumping Sirius onto the ground.

"I do," Hermione said, stepping forward. "In fact, I had much the same conversation with Molly. And by the time I'd finished with her, she knew that she was to blame for all of this. Every death is on her head. Just like every death is on your head, Sirius."

"And that includes Remus," Harry spat, kicking at his godfather who could barely groan he was in such bad shape. "How does it feel Sirius, to know you killed your best friend? Not to mention letting down your other best friend. Because that's what you did. You let my parents down. Instead of looking after me and protecting me, you alienated me. You pushed me away. You pushed me into the arms of the dark. You're the reason I'm like this, Sirius."

Hermione watched as Harry yanked Sirius's head back and placed his wand against his throat. She knew the power Harry now had at his disposal meant he could blow Sirius's head off with a mere flick of his wrist. However, she doubted Harry had anything as drastic in mind. In fact she wasn't even sure if he was going to kill his godfather. For all of Harry's darkness, and his plans with her father, she wasn't sure if her best friend was a killer. She knew she was as she'd partly killed Fudge and had likely played a huge part in killing Ron. She even could have killed Molly if Harry hadn't promised the twins they would try not to hurt their family. However, Harry was different from her and she wasn't sure if he wanted to take that final step into the darkness.

"I'm ready, Hermione," Harry said, grinning at Hermione as though he could read her mind. "But just so you know, this isn't about me. I'm doing this for you. As much as Sirius let me down, he did far worse to you. And I can never forgive what he intended to do to you. So this is for you, Hermione." Turning back to Sirius, a slow smile flickered over Harry's lips as his fingers tightened around his wand. "You should never have tried to kill my best friend," he whispered to his godfather. "Avada Kedavra."

Hermione blinked as the green light from Harry's wand seemed to be brighter than she'd ever seen it before. But her vision soon cleared and a sense of peace came over her. No doubt there would still be certain matters to sort out, but she knew in her heart that the war was over. The light had been extinguished and the dark had triumphed. Three years ago she'd taken her first steps into darkness, and now she'd come to revel in the darkness that now lived in her soul.


	24. Chapter 24

As Ginny began to return to consciousness, she realised she wasn't in her bed. In her half-awake state, she at first thought it was the bed at Grimmauld Place, but the more alert she became the more she noticed that she was in a strange bed. The bed was harder than both her own and the one in Grimmauld Place, and there was a strange smell that seemed familiar, but that she couldn't quite place.

Blinking her eyes open, Ginny found the concerned face of her brother hovering over her. Spotting a second face also hovering over her, Ginny blinked several times to try and get rid of her double vision. But as her eyes focused properly she realised she wasn't seeing double, it was just the twins. Mentally rolling her eyes at how stupid she was, she tried to sit up.

"Take it easy," Fred urged as he and George helped Ginny sit up in what she could now clearly see was a hospital bed.

"What happened?" she muttered.

"We were hoping you might be able to tell us that," another voice said, and Ginny whipped her head to the other side, where Percy, Bill and Charlie were all sitting beside her bed.

Instantly Ginny knew that whatever had happened was serious if it had brought her three oldest brothers to her side. Even though Percy still lived in the country, he'd kept away from the family and maintained his neutral stance. And as for Bill and Charlie, they hadn't been home for a few years, not since the falling out over Hermione.

"How are you feeling?" Bill asked his little sister.

"My head hurts," Ginny replied just as a Medi-Witch approached and informed them that a healer would be with them shortly to check Ginny out.

"Maybe you could talk afterwards," the Medi-Witch suggested.

"That's a good idea," Charlie remarked as the brothers left Ginny to be checked over by the healer.

As the healer arrived and checked Ginny over, snippets of memories started to emerge. By the time her brothers came back, she knew she could tell them what had happened. But she also knew she had plenty of questions, and first among them was asking about the rest of the family.

"They're all still in the hospital," Bill said, although Ginny could tell he wasn't telling her everything.

"Why don't you tell us what happened," Charlie urged. "We only have snippets of the story so far."

"We were at headquarters when a message arrived from Dumbledore," Ginny began. "He said he was under attack, and urgently asked for help. Word was sent out to as many people as the Order could reach, and then they headed off to help themselves."

"You didn't go with them?" Percy asked with a frown. "Then how were you found with the others?"

"I asked to go, and as usual I was told no," Ginny huffed. "But Dad was obviously worried this was more serious, and he attached a spell to my wand so that I could follow if they never returned. He did caution me not to use it unless necessary, and that was what I did. I waited and waited, and no-one came home. I must have waited three or four hours before I activated Dad's spell and went after them."

"And what did you find?" Bill asked.

"A mess," Ginny answered with a shudder. "I landed in the countryside, possibly somewhere close to Hogwarts as the type of scenery was similar. But there was a house, or at least I think it used to be a house. When I arrived it was virtually collapsed. There was also people lying around all over the place. Some of them weren't moving, but some of them were. Before I had a chance to look for anyone, I heard Dad calling my name. I spotted him lying propped up beside some trees, but before I could get to him I spotted Harry and You-Know-Who. They were just standing there, and then they cast some sort of spell. The spell was like a wave of colour rushing towards me. I don't know what happened next as that's all I can remember."

"It seems to have been some sort of spell which knocked everyone out," Bill informed Ginny. "Everyone was unconscious when the Aurors arrived."

"Aurors?" Ginny gasped. "They came to investigate the attack?"

"No, they were there to see Dumbledore," Bill admitted. "The Ministry is re-looking into Hermione's kidnapping as a child."

"The new Minister is trying to rectify some of his predecessors bumbling incompetencies," Percy supplied haughtily.

"They'd come to arrest Dumbledore?" Ginny checked.

"They would have taken him in for questioning first," Percy said. "But an arrest would have likely followed. After all, we all know the claims are true and he merely manipulated Fudge into letting him get away with it."

"So what's going to happen to him?" Ginny asked. "And everyone else involved? What does this mean for Mum and Dad?"

"Firstly, nothing will happen to Dumbledore," Charlie said. "He's dead."

"Dead," Ginny repeated quietly. "He was killed in the attack?"

"We're not sure of the details, but he's dead," Bill said.

"As for Mum and Dad, they've already been charged with kidnapping," Fred supplied.

"I thought you said they were still in hospital," Ginny muttered with a frown.

"They are," George confirmed with a nod of his head. "Dad will be getting discharged today, and he'll be going straight into custody. As for Mum, she's still undergoing tests."

"What sort of tests?" Ginny asked.

"She's up in psychiatric," Bill whispered softly. "When she came round she was ranting about everything being her fault. She calmed down enough to admit everything to the Aurors, but when she was informed of the deaths, she lost it again and started claiming that it was all her, and that none of this would have happened if it wasn't for her."

"Deaths as in plural?" Ginny questioned. "Who else died aside from Dumbledore?"

"Hagrid, Sirius and Moody," Fred answered. "Tonks and her father are still in a bad way."

"And so is Ron," Percy said, earning himself a few nasty looks from his brothers. "What?" he cried, shrugging his shoulders. "She needed to know."

"Yes, I did," Ginny agreed. "What's wrong with Ron?"

"He's in a coma," Charlie answered. "It looks like he was badly tortured. At the minute, the healers aren't sure he'll pull through."

"I want to see him," Ginny insisted, pushing back the covers only for George to replace them again.

"Not now, Ginny," George said softly.

"I want to see everyone," Ginny continued. "I want to see Mum and Dad."

"Percy's sorted it so that the Aurors will bring Dad into see you before they take him to the Ministry," Charlie said. "None of us can see Mum until they know exactly what's wrong with her, and Ron isn't going anywhere. You can go and see him later if you're feeling better."

"What's going to happen to them?" Ginny whispered as she slumped back against the pillows on her bed. "Will they end up in Azkaban?"

"Since Mum confessed, Dad also told the truth about the kidnapping," Percy said. "A custodial sentence is very likely. But Mum has also admitted plotting to kill Hermione. So unless she's kept in hospital, she'll face additional charges."

"And what about Hermione and the others?" Ginny asked. "Will they be charged with the attack on Dumbledore? Will they be charged for all the lives they ruined?"

"There's an investigation taking place to find what happened," Bill said with a shrug. "But I think we all know what the outcome will be."

"Yeah, no doubt Hermione and her family will all have alibis for what happened," Charlie added. "I'd be surprised if there was any comeback."

"So what, they get away with murder?" Ginny hissed.

"Like the Order got away with multiple kidnappings?" George snorted. "It's not ideal Ginny, and in a perfect world none of this would have happened."

"And let's not forget that if Mum and Sirius hadn't plotted to kill Hermione, she and Harry would still be with the Order," Fred added.

"So that makes it alright that You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters have murdered half the Order?" Ginny spat. "You know that I disagree with what happened as much as anyone. But I can't condone what happened. I can't condone that bloodbath."

"We don't condone it either," Fred said quietly. "But we can see it for what it could be."

"And what's that?" Ginny snorted.

"The end of the war," Charlie said, letting Ginny know that all of her brothers were on the same page.

"If we leave things as they are, there will be no need for the dark to carry on the fight," Bill added. "We haven't opposed them so far, so it would be madness to do so now."

"So what, we just let it go?" Ginny whispered, even though part of her could understand the way her brothers were thinking.

"We let it go," Fred confirmed. "We're going to lose Mum and Dad anyway. Let's not lose any more by fighting a pointless war."

"Let it go, Ginny," George advised. "Fred and I trust Harry and Hermione, and we know they won't come after us. We know they'll allow us to live our lives in peace."

"Ron will never stand for it," Ginny predicted.

"I'm not sure Ron's going to get a chance to object," Percy remarked. "As we said, Gin, he's in a bad way. In all honesty, we don't think he'll pull through."

"You're right, if Ron was here he would tell you to keep fighting," Fred said. "But look where that got him. Don't be like Ron, Ginny. Let things go and live your own life. Don't let our parents mistakes drag you down."

With her brothers words of wisdom echoing in her head, Ginny settled down for some rest. And when Arthur was allowed in to see her later that day, he said the same as her brothers and he urged Ginny to move on with her life and not to carry on the pointless fight with the dark.

* * *

As Hermione strode through the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic, at Lucius's side, she was aware that almost everyone was casting glances in her direction. Holding her head high, Hermione followed Lucius to the gold elevators in the corner of the Atrium and stepped inside after him.

"You have certainly grabbed the attention this morning," he drawled as the doors slid closed behind them.

"They better get used to seeing me around," Hermione remarked with a shrug.

"So you're still set on coming to work here?" Lucius checked.

"I'm not just going to work here, Lucius, I'm going to run the place," Hermione said with a smirk.

"Not yet," Lucius cautioned with a chuckle. "Don't run before you can walk, Hope."

"Don't worry, the Minister's job is safe," Hermione assured Lucius as the elevator stopped and they alighted on the top floor, where the Minister's offices were located. "For now," she muttered under her breath, following Lucius towards the Minister's office.

While Lucius headed into the Minister's office for his arranged meeting, Hermione filled in some paperwork which would ensure her a job in the Minister's office. Although before taking over as Minister, she wanted experience in every department so she also filled in forms which would enable her to work in any department as needs called for it. As Lucius had said, she wasn't ready to take over yet, so until she was, she wanted to know how every part of the Ministry worked.

When Hermione had finished her forms, Lucius still hadn't emerged from the Minister's office, so she used the chance to chat to the Minister's assistant. Although since the young girl hadn't been working at the Ministry very long, she couldn't tell Hermione much about the Minister and his new regime. Although Hermione would soon find out things first hand when she started her own career as a lowly Ministry employee.

By the time Lucius emerged from the Minister's office, a smug smirk gracing his lips, Hermione had given up talking to the Minister's assistant and was sitting reading some literature about the Ministry.

"Good news?" she checked, sliding the leaflets she'd been reading into her bag so she could finish them at home.

"Very," Lucius replied as they headed for the lifts. "Arthur Weasley has been transferred to Azkaban, awaiting trial. His wife has also been declared fit to stand trial, and she'll be arriving at the Ministry for questioning later today."

"I thought I might have broken Molly," Hermione remarked with a slight sigh.

"She's fit to stand trial, but she won't be heading to Azkaban just yet," Lucius said. "She's still receiving psychiatric treatment. Her mind will likely never be the same again."

"And what about Ron? Any news on him?"

"Still in a coma as far as we know," Lucius said with a shrug as they stepped into the lift when it arrived. "But he's not expected to wake."

"And what are the Ministry saying about Dumbledore's death?" Hermione asked.

"Death by misadventure," Lucius chuckled. "As it turned out, he died from a crushing blow to the head. So no murder charge. As for the entire incident, the Ministry will brush it under the carpet as long as nothing like this happens again. I think the general feeling in the air is that the war is over. I think everyone knows your father is victorious, and I think people are hoping this is it."

"I don't think there's enough of the Order to fight," Hermione said. "Nor do I think that anyone left will be stupid enough to carry on a fight they can't win. I would say the war was over."

"I think that might be tomorrow's headline," Lucius chuckled. "Your father was planning on speaking to the press today. So how does it feel to be the daughter of the victor?"

"It feels good," Hermione admitted as they exited at the Atrium. "Although it will feel even better once I've got this place whipped into shape. I know I'm not ready yet, but I can't wait to become Minister of Magic."

Taking one last look around the place that one day would be her domain, Hermione headed home with Lucius, where they spent the rest of the day celebrating their victory with the rest of the family. They had won the war and had control of Wizarding Britain. Now while Hermione worked on solidifying their position in Britain, her father and Harry would spread their wings and extend their dark empire across the rest of the Wizarding World.


	25. Epilogue

**One Year Later.**

Wandering over to the window in Draco's bedroom, Hermione gazed down at the gardens, illuminated by the lights from the ground floor of the manor. She could even see figures wandering around in the garden, getting some fresh air. With the manor being so large, Hermione couldn't hear anything, but she knew that downstairs there would be a riot of noise as the party was well underway. And not just any party - her engagement party.

Glancing down at the twinkling diamond ring on her finger, Hermione couldn't help but smile as she recalled how Draco had proposed to her several weeks ago. Her boyfriend had taken her away for a romantic weekend in Paris, and even though he'd had a romantic proposal under the stars beside the river Seine planned, he'd been so nervous about asking her that he'd blurted the question out almost as soon as they'd reached their hotel. Not that Hermione was bothered about how Draco had proposed, she was just happy that he'd asked her to marry him and of course her answer was an immediate yes.

Deciding that it was time she headed down to the party, as it really wasn't fair to leave Draco to deal with all of the guests, Hermione grabbed her wand only to be distracted by the card it was sitting beside. The card was an engagement card, and it had arrived earlier that day from the twins. Fred and George had sent their congratulations to her and Draco, but they'd declined the invitation to attend the party as they were heading to Romania with Ginny to spend time with Charlie.

Although to be fair, even if they hadn't been going away, Hermione wasn't sure if the twins would have attended the party. After events of a year ago, Hermione had worried that they'd pushed the twins too far and that they would end their friendship with her and Harry. Despite the fact they'd kept their promise not to kill any of their family outright, Ron had still ended up succumbing to his injuries. Just over a week after the battle, the Weasleys had said their goodbyes and he'd slipped away peacefully. Technically, no-one had killed him, but everyone knew he'd died thanks to the damage he'd sustained in the battle.

However, the twins didn't seem to blame Hermione or Harry for their brothers death. Nor had they ended their friendship. They'd even accepted the financial help Hermione had promised them, and these days Draco was an investor in their business. But even so, Hermione couldn't help but feel attending her engagement party at Malfoy Manor might have been a step too far for the loyal twins. She was just hoping that when the time came, they attended her wedding. Although if they didn't, Hermione didn't really think she would blame them as Ron wasn't the only person they'd lost thanks to her family.

Once the dust had started to settle on the end of the war, Molly and Arthur had stood trial, albeit a very short one as they'd both confessed to playing a part in her kidnapping as a child. They each received ten years in Azkaban for their crimes, and Molly was handed an extra ten year sentence for plotting to kill Hermione. By the time the trial had rolled round, Molly had been declared fit to be sentenced, but Hermione had been in the court room and she'd seen that she'd broken something in Molly and that the older woman would never be the same again. Even if she survived twenty years in Azkaban, she would never be the woman she once was.

While some people in the public viewed the sentences as too harsh, and a lot of people thought that Molly and Arthur were shouldering all the blame since everyone else involved in the incident was dead, Voldemort considered the punishment a light one. However, Hermione didn't care about the length of time either Molly or Arthur spent in Azkaban, she knew their real punishment lay elsewhere. Not only had they lost a son, but Molly had accepted that everything that had happened since Hermione had learnt the truth was her fault. Hermione had no doubt that for the rest of her life, Molly would blame herself for the deaths of so many people, not to mention the fact Voldemort had won the war and had control of Wizarding Britain. In Hermione's eyes, that was a far better punishment for Molly than the sweet oblivion of death.

Hearing footsteps approaching the bedroom, Hermione put down the twins card and turned to the doorway in time to see her fiancé enter the room.

"Are you ever coming down?" he asked. "It's hard to have an engagement party when one half of the couple is missing in action. People are going to think you're having second thoughts about marrying me."

"Never," Hermione promised with a smile. "Like it or not, you're stuck with me, Draco."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Draco returned with a grin. "So are you ready to join us?"

"Are they here?" Hermione asked, even as she nodded her head and agreed to join the party.

"Not yet," Draco admitted with a slight wince. "But they will be. They wouldn't miss this for anything."

"I hope so," Hermione sighed, taking hold of Draco's hand and allowing her fiancé to lead her towards the party.

As they started to descend the main staircase, the sound of the party began to hit Hermione, and she admitted to herself that the reason she'd been hiding upstairs wasn't so she could make an entrance, it was to give two very important people a chance to arrive. But it was looking like she was going to have to celebrate without two members of her family.

Putting thoughts of the missing family members out of her head, Hermione put a smile on her face as they neared the bottom of the stairs and she saw everyone gathered in the front hallway. Right at the front of the group were Lucius, Narcissa and Severus, all wearing proud smiles on their faces. Hermione also spotted the Slytherins - Blaise, Theo, Greg, Vince, Pansy and Daphne – all of whom had become dear friends to Hermione, near the front of the crowd. She then caught sight of her old friends, Dean, Seamus, Neville and Neville's girlfriend, Luna Lovegood.

Hermione had to admit she'd been surprised when her and Harry had turned up to have a drink with the former Gryffindors and she found Neville had brought Luna along. But Luna had been her typical welcoming self, and assured Hermione she held no animosity towards her. Like everyone, she expressed her regret that things had unfolded the way they had, but she hadn't judged Hermione for choosing her father's side. Nor did she have any problem with the fact Hermione was The Dark Lord's daughter, and very openly loved and supported him.

"To the future Mr and Mrs Malfoy," Lucius called, raising his glass in the air as Draco and Hermione halted a few steps from the bottom of the stairs. "Draco and Hope."

As the guests toasted the couple, Hermione was amused to hear some people follow Lucius in calling her Hope, while those who were friends with her called her Hermione. Not that Hermione minded either way what people called her as she'd long ago accepted that she was both Hermione Granger and Hope Riddle.

Making her way down into the thick of the party, Hermione embraced the members of her family who were present, before greeting her friends. She then spotted another couple she was delighted to see, and rushed into the arms of the parents who had raised her. Oddly enough her parents were more affectionate these days than they had been in all the years she'd been growing up, although Hermione suspected it had something to do with the fact she knew the truth. Clearly when she'd been growing up her parents had been scared of her finding out that she wasn't their biological daughter and rejecting them.

"You look lovely," Jean said with a warm smile. "You look so happy."

"I am happy," Hermione confirmed.

"So you're settled?" Richard checked. "No regrets?"

"No regrets," Hermione replied confidently. "I love Draco, and I can't wait to marry him."

"And are you still enjoying your work?" Jean asked.

Eagerly, Hermione told her parents about her duties at the Ministry. Technically she was still a junior member of the Minister's personal staff, but over the year she'd been at the Ministry she'd been on secondment to virtually every department. In that time she'd found herself a loyal band of witches and wizards who could see that she was the future of the Ministry and had pledged their allegiance to her. Of course there were still some people around the Ministry that she knew would oppose her, but she wasn't ready to think about challenging them. For now she was content to be a junior member of staff and find out from the bottom how things worked at the Ministry of Magic.

"I haven't seen your father this evening," Richard remarked once Hermione had exhausted the topic of her work.

"He isn't here yet," Hermione admitted with a disappointed sigh. "He and Harry have been travelling in Eastern Europe, but they were supposed to be back for this evening."

Over the last month, Voldemort and Harry had started to take their first steps into exerting their influence over the rest of the Wizarding World. It had taken so long to get started as before he turned his attention elsewhere, Voldemort had wanted to be sure his authority in Britain wouldn't be challenged. But aside from a few small rebellions, which were easily quashed, people had accepted that the war was over and the dark had triumphed. So with Wizarding Britain in safe hands, Voldemort had turned his attention to conquering the rest of the world with Harry by his side. And as much as Hermione supported their mission and hoped they were successful, she was a bit annoyed at both of them for missing her party when they'd promised to be here for her.

"I'm sure they'll be here if they promised," Jean said reassuringly.

Hoping her mother was right, Hermione wandered off to mingle with the guests and to thank them for coming. Half an hour later she was chatting to Professor McGonagall, who had been more than happy to see Hermione in the aftermath of the war and had made it clear that she hadn't supported the Order's stance and didn't judge Hermione for standing with her father. In the midst of her conversation with McGonagall, who was informing her how well Severus was settling in as the new headmaster, Hermione was distracted by a commotion in the garden. With McGonagall by her side, Hermione made her way outside only to find her father and Harry had made a dramatic entrance.

"Hope, I am so sorry we're late," Voldemort said, striding towards his daughter. "We got blown off course over the channel."

"You flew home?" Hermione questioned with an arched eyebrow. Her father had still never confided in her how he could fly without a broom, but she suspected he was teaching Harry the same trick.

"It's invigorating and clears ones head," Voldemort replied. "But if we'd known we would encounter strong winds, we would have chosen another method to come home."

"It doesn't matter, you're here now," Hermione said, giving Voldemort a bone-crushing hug.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world," Voldemort whispered, dropping a kiss to the top of Hermione's head.

"Nor would I," Harry said as Hermione extracted herself from her father's embrace and welcomed him.

"I should have known that neither of you would let me down," Hermione chuckled. "You never have before."

"And we never will," Voldemort vowed.

"Definitely not," Harry agreed. "We will always be there for you, Hermione. We're your family and you're stuck with us."

"Then it's a good job I love all of my family," Hermione laughed, turning to find Draco had appeared behind her.

"I think there's someone eager to see you, Harry," he said, grinning at his friend as he wrapped his arm around Hermione's waist.

Hermione didn't have to turn her head to know that Draco was talking about Daphne. Nor did she have to witness Harry setting eyes on his girlfriend as the large grin that broke out on his face was indication he'd caught sight of the witch he was devoted to. However, Hermione did watch as Harry strode over to Daphne and gave her a searing kiss that had plenty of people nearby getting hot under the collar.

"We can do better than that," Draco whispered to Hermione.

"Not here," Hermione whispered back. "I'd rather go somewhere quiet. How about we sneak off for a private celebration."

"Won't we be missed?" Draco asked.

"We won't be gone forever, just long enough to have some fun," Hermione countered, edging away from the crowds and pulling Draco further down the garden where the lights from the manor failed to penetrate the darkness.

Sneaking around in the dark garden, the couple came to a halt beside the small lake. The moonlight was bright enough for them to see each other, but they knew no-one from the manor could see them unless they came looking for them.

"As crazy as it sounds, right at this moment I am so very grateful to Molly and Sirius," Hermione whispered as Draco wrapped his arms around her.

"You're grateful that people plotted to kill you?" Draco frowned.

"I'm not grateful they plotted to kill me," Hermione clarified. "I'm grateful they had that conversation about me where I could hear. It changed everything for me. Without that conversation, I never would have learnt the truth."

"And you never would have come here," Draco continued, understanding where Hermione was coming from.

"And I never would have fallen in love with you," Hermione added. "By showing me the truth, they brought me to where I am today."

"And you don't regret it?" Draco checked. "You don't regret stepping into the darkness?"

"Not for one moment," Hermione replied with a smile. "Finding my father, and finding a whole new family was the best thing to ever happen to me. I couldn't imagine my life without you in it, Draco. I couldn't imagine my life without the darkness."

"And I couldn't imagine my life without you," Draco admitted quietly. "I love you, Hermione."

"I love you too," Hermione whispered, connecting her lips with Draco's.

Standing in the moonlight in her fiancé's arms, Hermione had never felt more content. Sirius and Molly may have set her on a path of darkness, but it was a path she'd never regretted taking. She was born to be dark, and she'd learnt that just because you embraced the darkness didn't make you incapable of love. That was something Dumbledore had never understood. He'd never understood that her father could be a dark wizard, yet still love with all of his heart. Maybe if he had understood that, things would have been different and he would never have kidnapped her as a child. But what was done was done, and Hermione didn't plan on dwelling on the past. She had her entire future laid out before her, and she was more than happy to embrace her destiny as The Dark Lord's daughter and the future Minister of Magic in a Wizarding Britain controlled by the dark forces.

**The End.**

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**A/N – I just want to say a huge thank you for everyone who has read this story, and especially those who have taken the time to leave a review. I also want to thank you for your patience with this trilogy – especially with the long gap between the 2nd and 3rd part. I hope it was all worth it in the end, and I hope everyone enjoyed this trilogy. Aside from the rest of my Christmas stories, this is me done for the year, so I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and I hope to see you all again next year with new stories.**


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